Former Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit has urged the Gunners to move on from Ousmane Dembele in January as the club look to improve their attacking options.
As Mikel Arteta’s current Gunners look to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League this season, rumors are swirling about potential new signings.
But Petit, who joined Arsenal from Monaco in 1997, has said PSG’s Dembele would be a poor fit for the north London side, while suggesting another star striker who would be a good signing in January.
Petit told OLBG: ‘Ousmane Dembele is having a hard time because he is under enormous pressure at PSG. He often misses opportunities and does not score goals. It’s been a tough start for him, so I can’t say Dembele is for Arsenal.
‘I’m a big fan of Ivan Toney. He has done a great job with Brentford since they emerged from the Championship, and I’m not surprised they are struggling without him, even if they beat Chelsea this weekend.
Arsenal have been urged not to sign PSG’s out-of-form striker Ousmane Dembele
Emmanuel Petit said Arsenal should go for Brentford’s Ivan Toney if they get the chance
Petit, who played for Arsenal between 1997 and 2000, said Toney would be ‘a great bargain’
“Brentford is not the same team without Toney and the package he brings: his goals, mentality and behaviour. Whoever gets Toney in January, if he leaves, will be getting a steal. If Arsenal get the chance to sign him, they should go for him.”
Brentford manager Thomas Frank has stated he wants Toney to stay at the Bees ‘forever’ amid a potential battle for his signature from Arsenal and Chelsea, another of Petit’s former teams.
Petit won the Premier League with the Gunners in his first season in 1998 and made 118 appearances for the club before moving to Barcelona in 2000. The following year he came back to London to join Chelsea, where he stayed until 2004.
Dembélé, 26, is also a former Barcelona player, who left for PSG for €50.4 million this summer but failed to score for his new side. Despite being under contract with the French giants until 2028, this has led some to speculate that he could leave Paris much sooner.
Petit, 53, also believes that top prospect Pedro Neto may not be a necessary improvement for Arsenal, although they should be disappointed to miss out on a few available names in the summer.
Petit said: ‘Pedro Neto is a young prospect. He didn’t score many goals, but he did provide seven assists this season. Neto has already made 100 appearances for Wolves and provided a total of 17 assists. He’s an exciting prospect and he’s electric. He’s a good player who plays for his national team, but I’m not sure Arsenal need him.
Petit is ‘not sure’ whether Arsenal need Pedro Neto despite the young talent in the Wolves player
Mikel Arteta’s side need a ‘quality midfielder’ as they have struggled with injuries this season
‘I was angry when City signed Jeremy Doku because he could have played for Arsenal. I thought the same thing when Allan Saint-Maximin left Newcastle for Saudi Arabia because he would have been good for Arsenal too.
‘At the moment Arsenal still need a midfielder because they are struggling with injuries. Thomas Partey has been injured for so long since his arrival, Jorginho can’t play every game and Emile Smith Rowe has just returned. I also think Martin Odegaard is starting to look a bit tired.
‘Arsenal need a good midfielder. I would love to see a player like Jude Bellingham; someone who creates the game, builds it, scores, assists and everything else in midfield. He is the signing of my dreams, but Arsenal need someone like him.”
Following their League Cup exit at the hands of West Ham in midweek, Arsenal travel to Newcastle United for a league match on Saturday evening before hosting Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday.