Arsenal face Ivan Toney transfer truth amid Jorrel Hato plan and Emile Smith Rowe decision

With under five days now remaining of the transfer window, it’s shaping up to be a quiet one for Arsenal. There is an understanding within the club’s hierarchy that reinforcements would certainly benefit the Gunners squad. However, profit and sustainability rules mean that getting anything over the line between now the deadline day on February 1st will prove tough.

“At the moment, it is very difficult,” Mikel Arteta said of his side’s prospects in the market last month. “We are really short. We have positions that we have been very exposed for the last six weeks and hopefully we are going to get players back. In what condition and when?

“That’s a question mark and as well because we have some long-term injuries still for certain players that give us a lot of versatility and that’s an issue. We have certain targets, ideas if things happen. As well, we don’t know how the squad is going to look in two weeks’ time and you have to be always prepared for that.

“But it is a very, very tricky market that shifts very quickly and it is quite unpredictable as well – and you have to be prepared. We will be prepared and we will try to make the right calls. If there is something that we can [do to] improve the squad and that needs appear, and we cannot fulfil it with players here, we are always going to be open to do that because we want to be stronger.”

The area it seems most likely that there could be some movement is defence. Arsenal are lacking in numbers at the back right now but could be open to letting Cedric Soares leave this month. The Portuguese defender has admirers in Besiktas and Galatasaray who would both like to take him on a permanent basis.

Arsenal are open to the deal. Cedric has just six months remaining on his contract in north London and at the age of 32, he will not be offered an extension. Cedric is on £100,000-per-week so if Arsenal can find someone willing to take those wages off their hands, they’d be willing to speed up his inevitable departure.

Although Cedric has started just once this season, his exit would leave scope for a potential incoming defensive transfer. Unless the perfect deal comes along, though, sources have indicated that Arsenal may look to stick with what they’ve got with Thomas Partey back in training, Takehiro Tomiyasu soon to return and Jurrien Timber hopefully back before the end of the season.

This could be disappointing news for fans who had been hoping to see additions this month. As well as in defence many feel Arsenal are light in attack. The Gunners are just the fifth-highest scorers in the Premier League despite having the third-highest xG, with Bukayo Saka the only player to hit above five goals in the league this season.

This has seen them linked heavily to Brentford’s Ivan Toney. The Bees are reportedly looking for a replacement and have accepted that Toney will leave. The 28-year-old is likely to stay until at least the summer, though.

There has been little indication that Arsenal have been keen to make a move for Toney this month. But even if they wanted to, financial limitations would make such a deal tough. With this in mind, a sale of a Hale Ender such as Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah or Reiss Nelson could be an option, given that academy players go down in the books as pure profit. All three have admirers in the Premier League, but Arteta views them as part of his plans, and unless a big offer comes in between now and February 1st it’s hard to see any of them leaving.