{"id":85945,"date":"2023-09-26T18:00:30","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T18:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebritytidings.com\/?p=85945"},"modified":"2023-09-26T18:00:30","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T18:00:30","slug":"paul-merson-says-arsenal-cant-win-the-league-with-eddie-nketiah-up-front-as-he-demands-70m-replacement-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebritytidings.com\/sport\/paul-merson-says-arsenal-cant-win-the-league-with-eddie-nketiah-up-front-as-he-demands-70m-replacement-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Merson says Arsenal CAN'T win the league with Eddie Nketiah up front as he demands \u00a370m replacement | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"
ARSENAL can't win the Premier League with Eddie Nketiah up front, according to Paul Merson.<\/p>\n
Nketiah started up front during Sunday's North London derby and has been the Gunners' starting No9 while Gabriel Jesus made his way back from injury.<\/p>\n
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The 24-year-old has two goals in six games this season, with Arsenal winning four and drawing two.<\/p>\n
However, Merson – who won two league titles with the Gunners in 1989 and 1991 – does not believe Nketiah's firepower is enough to break the club's two-decade-long title drought.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "I\u2019ve always said it from day one: Eddie Nketiah is not going to win you the Premier League.<\/p>\n
"You need a proper centre-forward. I\u2019m not blaming Nketiah because they drew 2-2 with Tottenham.<\/p>\n
"But with 32 games to go and all the Champions League games they have to play, I don\u2019t think he takes them to the next level. I don\u2019t even think Gabriel Jesus takes them to the next level.<\/p>\n \u201cI was so confident that Arsenal would win on Sunday but when I saw the teams, I was majorly worried. <\/p>\n "Jesus on the wing, Nketiah up front, Fabio Vieira\u2026 I don\u2019t think he\u2019s good enough. Then Declan Rice comes off and Jorginho comes on."<\/p>\n "It wasn\u2019t Arsenal\u2019s strongest team but when you think about the Champions League and all the games they have to play. It looked a bit weak on Sunday, didn\u2019t it?"<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite his criticism, Merson believes he has identified a solution in the form of banned Brentford forward Ivan Toney.<\/p>\n He added: "It\u2019s all right sitting there and thinking \u2018they need a centre-forward\u2019… but who is there?<\/p>\n "Only Ivan Toney is available for them in January. There aren\u2019t many centre-forwards around in the world. <\/p>\n "They\u2019re a dying breed. Toney is a good player. He can hold the ball up, he\u2019s good in the air. <\/p>\n "Arsenal might have to go for him. But there are not a million centre-forwards around."<\/p>\n Toney was slapped with an eight-month ban from football after being found guilty of breaching betting rules. <\/p>\n However, the 27-year-old is still valued at \u00a370million by the Bees. <\/p>\n The England forward, who opened up on the ban on the Diary of a CEO podcast, scored 20 goals in 33 league games before the ban.<\/p>\n Toney also suggested he would be open to a transfer to one of Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester United on the podcast.<\/p>\n The Sun obtained exclusive footage of Toney in training after Brentford struck a deal with the FA to allow him to do so for rehabilitation work on a hamstring issue he sustained last season.<\/p>\n Arsenal take on Toney-less Brentford on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup third round.<\/p>\n ARSENAL TRANSFER NEWS LIVE: Stay up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours from the Emirates<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/picture>PET HATE <\/span><\/p>\n
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