'I feel that is a gamble' - Ex-England star advises Arsenal, Chelsea on who to sign between Osimhen and Toney

Ex-England international Paul Merson has urged his former club Arsenal and rivals Chelsea to consider signing Brentford star Ivan Toney instead of Victor Osimhen in the January transfer window.

Arsenal are said to be interested in signing a new striker to bolster their chances of winning thePremier League and have been linked with the Osimhen.

Gabriel Jesus is Mikel Arteta's first-choice striker but has struggled with injuries and form particularly in the Premier League, scoring 2 goals in 11 appearances this season, which explains their search for a new striker.

Similarly, Chelsea have also continued to struggle for goals this season, scoring fewer goals than Aston Villa, Tottenham, Brighton & Hove and Newcastle, teams with lower budget than the London-based side.

The Blues have been linked with Osimhen who is considered a priority target in their search for a new striker.

While both Premier League giants have been linked with the 2023 CAF Men's Player of the Year, Merson feels they should be looking at signing Toney instead.

"It might just be worth the risk. I feel Arsenal and Chelsea might need Toney if they are to do anything this season," Merson wrote in his column for Sky Sports.

"The hardest job in football is to score goals. There just aren't many top-quality centre forwards around

"There is Victor Osimhen at Napoli. However, I feel that is a gamble because he would be coming into the hardest league in the world.

"How many times have we seen someone rip it up in another country only to struggle in the Premier League? We've seen it too many times."

The England international would  return to action next month upon the completion of his punishment for violating betting rules and it remains to be seen whether Brentford would let him leave due to fellow striker, Bryan Mbuemo at AFCON

Napoli are also determined to keep Osimhen beyond January which means Chelsea and Arsenal will have to wait till summer to get his signature.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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