Arsenal has always appealed to Ivan Toney, according to the Brentford forward himself
(Image credit: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Arsenal could be the preferred next club of Ivan Toney, should he ever decide to leave Brentford.
That's according to the striker himself who told Steven Bartlett on The Diary of a CEO podcast that he could see himself playing for the Gunners. Toney was banned from football for eight months following gambling charges but has now sat down with Bartlett to discuss not just the ban but his career on the podcast.
While plenty of headlines have been made from the 27-year-old's willingness to speak out against the FA and his treatment, one interesting nugget came from a part of the conversation about where he could move next – admitting that despite being a Liverpool fan, he admires one of their rivals.
Ivan Toney was banned from football for eight months (Image credit: Alex Livesey / Getty Images)
“The next club I go to, if I was to move, would be the right club,“ he said. “I've been a Liverpool fan my whole life… but from young, I’ve liked Arsenal.
“I’ve liked watching Arsenal and how they play and how passionate their fans are. I’m a Liverpool boy at heart.”
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The admission is fascinating because Arsenal may well look to strengthen in attack next season, with most other areas in the team complete. Toney actually upset several Arsenal fans with his infamous “Nice kick about with the boys” tweet following Brentford's first-ever Premier League win over the Gunners.
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The tweet was later used by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta during his team talk before the return fixture, as seen in Amazon's All Or Nothing documentary.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta didn't take kindly to Toney poking fun at his team (Image credit: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Toney has scored 68 goals in all competitions for the Bees since he joined three years ago, with 32 of those strikes coming in the top flight.
The forward is valued by Transfermarkt to be worth €35 million.
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Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
