Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu are under pressure to repeat the success of last summer's transfer window again this year. Six new faces arrived at Arsenal, around £150m was spent and although there were some doubts, the business is paying off quite nicely.
As the team currently sits fourth in the Premier League table with ten games remaining, Champions League qualification is becoming a serious possibility. But regardless of where the Gunners finish, this summer presents another big opportunity to close the gap on clubs around them and further bolster a talented squad.
football.london understands a significant outlay is being planned with the backing of owner Stan Kroenke, while Arteta remains keen on signing two forwards, a central midfielder and backup right-back.
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A host of names have been linked with a move to the Emirates including Chelsea's Armando Broja, Leicester City's Youri Tielemans and Middlesbrough full-back Djed Spence. However, someone that Arteta is likely to snub is Brentford's Ivan Toney.
The 26-year-old may be a key man for Thomas Frank's side, scoring 46 goals in 81 appearances for the Bees, but his attitude off the pitch will no doubt leave Arsenal chiefs wary.
Just two months ago, a video surfaced on social media appearing to show the striker shout "f*** Brentford" to the camera. It understandably left supporters angry and before too long, Toney apologised. Fast forward a few weeks and he finds himself in hot water again.
Another clip has emerged which shows Toney in his car whilst speaking to a person that is unaware of who he is and what he does. After establishing he's a footballer, the recorder of the video asks him where he plays to which Toney replied "nowhere exciting".
This has again left Brentford fans disappointed and demanding answers from the player. Various reports have previously suggested Arsenal are admirers of Toney, even ex-Gunners star Ray Parlour has admitted that he would "love" his former club to go in for him.
Despite the clear goal threat he possesses, It's becoming even more apparent that Toney, who is valued at £28.8m by Transfermarkt, would not fit in at Arsenal under Arteta. It was only on Friday last week that the Spaniard set out his demands for incoming signings, with respect being one of them.
Rather than learning from his mistakes, Toney has continued to disrespect his current club. After so much hard work has gone into rebuilding the squad at London Colney as well as improving the mentality, character and atmosphere around the place, Arteta should steer clear of a bad ego that risks upsetting it all.
