Arsenal wanted to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney and then loan him abroad for a year at Fenerbahçe.
That’s according to Fotospor, who state the Turkish side’s president said he refused the offer as he didn’t want anyone involved in ‘match-fixing’… of course there is no suggestion from the FA that Toney was.
Toney is currently serving an eight-month ban after being found guilty of 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules.
That was a huge blow for him and Brentford, where the striker has been the undisputed star of the show for the last few years.
Arsenal were one of those linked with a potential move as they continue to build under Mikel Arteta and splash the cash to give him the squad he needs to compete.
Their plan, according to the outlet, would have seen them sign the striker and send him to Turkey temporarily but he was having none of it.
“No one involved in match-fixing can enter this team,” Koçis reported to have said on the matter, thus bringing the idea to a swift end before it ever got started.
We must say that all this is rather strange since reports in England dating back to May suggested Toney’s ban would apply anywhere else in the world, since FIFA would likely back their decision.
