Arsenal urged to take a ‘gamble’ on two Premier League stars

Ray Parlour thinks Arsenal should “gamble” and look to sign Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the summer.

The Gunners agreed to terminate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s contract at the end of January as he moved to Barcelona on a free transfer, while Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are both out of contract at the end of the season.

That would leave Arsenal with very few options in attack and Parlour has urged his former club to make a bid to sign Toney and Calvert-Lewin.

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Parlour has described the Gunners priority to sign a couple of strikers this summer as “an absolute must” and thinks Calvert-Lewin could add a “new dynamic” to their forward line.

“Arsenal’s priority this summer is to sign at least one or two strikers. That is an absolute must,” Parlour said in an interview with The Design Museum.

“I’d love to see Arsenal take a gamble on Ivan Toney. I think he’s had a good young striker who has enjoyed a breakthrough season in the Premier League with Brentford.

“I’d expect him to only get better as he moves towards his peak years and he’s also a nailed-on penalty taker which we don’t have now that Aubameyang has left the club.

“I’d also be interested in signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin from Everton because he would add a new dynamic to the forward players already at the club.

“I think he would hold the ball up well and interchange passes with runners from midfield. He’d be a huge benefit to the likes of Saka and Smith-Rowe.

“Ivan Toney and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are realistic targets who would improve the club this summer and I’m excited to see what happens.”

Meanwhile, right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu will be checked ahead of Arsenal’s clash against Aston Villa as he tries to make a comeback from a calf injury which has kept him out since January.

“No news, yesterday we recovered after the game and today we will have the first session and we will see how everyone is today,” Arteta told a press conference on Friday.

“There is a chance but we don’t know, again the training session today and we will see how everyone is feeling.

“He had a recurring injury in the same place and after that you have to be a little bit more cautious.”