Prior to his January transfer, Ivan Taylor went to a private training session at Arsenal with Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal could risk gutting Mikel Arteta’s squad of academy-turned-senior stars if the club pursue a deal to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney. Gunners fans have a close affiliation with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson after they rose through the ranks at London Colney before becoming established senior players at the Emirates Stadium.

However, as Arsenal emerge as a genuine Premier League title challenger on a consistent basis under Arteta – the squad could be set to drastically change. The Gunners spent over £200million bringing Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya to the Emirates Stadium in the summer.

All four have instantly become regulars in Arteta’s side – resulting in a few Hale End stars moving down the pecking order – most notably, Emile Smith Rowe. The England Under-21 international is a fan-favourite at Arsenal and despite putting his injury problems behind him this season, he is still struggling to break into the starting XI.

Another Hale End star who has had to settle for a rotation role is Reiss Nelson. The 23-year-old is mainly seen as Bukayo Saka’s deputy in the squad despite popping up with important goals in the past 12 months.

Many top Premier League clubs have succumbed to a similar path that Arsenal seem to be heading in. If academy products are not at the required level or consistency, then higher-quality players will be brought in as the club chases silverware.

Following their huge summer transfer spending spree, the Gunners want to continue reinforcing Arteta’s squad with the best players – but it will come at a cost. Smith Rowe and Nelson could be used as a makeweight to fund a move to sign Brentford star Ivan Toney in January.

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