Arsenal put off transfer after meeting with player

Arsenal met with Ivan Toney over a potential future transfer but didn’t like the player’s personality, according to a report.

Speaking on the Charles Watts YouTube channel, football insider Team News and Ticks claims that reports of an Arsenal move for Ivan Toney have gone quiet because the club don’t like his personality.

According to the claims, when Toney signed with his new agency last year, his aim was to get back playing, to get into the England squad, and to move to a big club – ideally Arsenal.

The striker saw himself as a good fit for the Gunners up front, believing he would score lots of goals in Mikel Arteta’s system.

Yet when Arsenal met with Toney, they didn’t like him, and all their evidence suggests his personality wouldn’t be a fit for the current squad.

John Cross of the Mirror previously reported that Arsenal were keen on Toney earlier in the season, but that their interest waned, and it’s now highly unlikely he’ll join.

Regardless of the personality problem, Toney’s form also wasn’t particularly impressive after his return from his gambling ban.

After scoring four goals in his first five games back, the striker then scored none in his next 12, and it was a surprise to see him still making Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2024.

Southgate argued that Toney offered a different profile to his other centre-forward options in the squad, but there were certainly those who felt there were others more deserving.

The England manager can make whatever choice he likes for his squad, but Arsenal’s perspective on Toney’s form and personality clashes rule out a summer transfer to north London.