Ollie Watkins scored in England’s victory over Australia last week (Picture: Getty)
Former Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre says he would prefer his old club to sign Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins instead of Brentford star Ivan Toney.
Toney looks destined to leave Brentford in the January transfer window, once he finishes serving his eight-month ban for breaching betting regulations.
The 27-year-old has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most potent strikers in recent seasons and has been identified by Mikel Arteta as Arsenal’s No.1 target, despite a prohibitive asking price of £80m.
Silvestre, though, feels that Villa star Watkins would be a more attractive option for the north Londoners.
Watkins, who is the same age as Toney, has been in fine form for Villa this season, registering eight goal involvements in eight Premier League appearances.
‘Right now you have Eddie Nketiah at the club alongside Gabriel Jesus, but signing a third striker could present them with a luxury that could be useful at this level,’ Silvestre told GGRecon.
‘Especially when you consider the amount of games that Arsenal could potentially play this season.
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‘The team always needs healthy competition and it needs quality, so if Arsenal were to sign another striker in the near future, then it would be [Ollie] Watkins over [Ivan] Toney if the decision was up to me.’
Watkins signed a new five-year deal at Villa earlier this month, with the player now under contract until 2028.
He moved to Villa from Brentford three years ago and has registered a total of 50 goals and 17 assists across 129 games.
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‘If the decision was up to me…’