Toral on target for Rangers … but gunning for Premier League glory
Arsenal midfielder believes moving to Ibrox will help him to achieve his goals
HECTOR BELLERIN and Jon Toral’s careers have followed almost identical trajectories since they were a young age. They made their way through the youth ranks at Barcelona together, they each represented Spain at age-group level, they signed for Arsenal at the same time and they have since benefited from spells at Championship clubs in England.
Where Bellerin and Toral differ, though, is that the former has broken through and established himself in the first team at the Emirates Stadium while the latter is still, five years after joining, waiting to make his debut.
But the attacking midfielder, who yesterday signed on loan at Rangers until the end of the season, firmly believes he is capable of emulating his close friend and compatriot. What is more, he is confident his temporary move to Ibrox will ultimately enable him to achieve his aim.
“I played for eight years at Barca and came through the youth ranks with Hector,” he said. “He is my best friend and we joined Arsenal together.
“He is one of the best right-backs in the Premier League in my opinion so I couldn’t be happier for him. I would love one day to play alongside him.
“Playing well for Rangers can help me prove to the boss at Arsenal that I am ready for the first team. I am sure it will benefit me in the long run.”
The 21-year-old revealed that Mark Warburton, the manager he worked with during their memorable spell at Brentford together two seasons ago, is confident he can feature for Arsene Wenger’s side in the near future.
Toral added: “The manager was a massive influence in me coming here. I know him from Brentford and I know how good a coach he is. I enjoyed working with Mark. He did a great job there.
“We knew how good that team was. We had a lot of young, hungry players. Not a lot was expected of us, but we reached the play-off semi-finals which was a great achievement.
“I know how much faith the manager has in me. He believes I will play in the Premiership one day. That gives me so much confidence and makes me want to get started right away.
“I don’t feel any added pressure. Playing for such a big club like Rangers brings its own pressures. I believe in my own ability and will play my natural game.”
Despite not playing him in his Arsenal side, Wenger has monitored the progress of Toral closely in recent seasons. He also feels that being reunited with Warburton will prove beneficial to his development.
“The boss at Arsenal was very keen for me to join Rangers so that was a big help too,” he said. “They have a great connection with Mark. They respect and admire him.
“They like his style of play and the way he works, so that made this decision an easy one for me.”
Toral has seen how playing for Rangers has helped two of his Arsenal team mates – Mikel Arteta and Gedion Zelalam – to further their ambitions in the game and has spoken to both men about life at Ibrox.
The feedback which he received from both Arteta, a former Arsenal first-team regular, and Zelalem, who this week held talks with Borussia Dortmund about a move to the Westfalenstadion, was hugely positive and further increased his desire to move to Scotland for the remainder of the season.
“Gedion came here last year and things went well for him,” he said. “I hope that’s the same for me. I spoke at length with Mikel Arteta. He told me that if I had the chance to come here then I simply had to take it. He loved his time here and I know how big a legend he was.”
Toral helped Brentford to reach the Championship play-off semi-finals and last term he was named Players’ and Supporters’ Player of the Year as well as the scorer of their Goal of the Season at Birmingham City.
However, this term he has gone to La Liga club Granada where his first-team appearances have been limited to just six. They included a win over Osasuna, in which he netted the only goal of the game, and draws against Villarreal, Deportivo and Valencia. But he is keen to put the disappointing spell firmly behind him and perform regularly at Rangers.
“I went to finish the season strongly having not played as much as I would have liked in the first part of the campaign,” he said. “I want to get minutes and enjoy my football again. I believe I can do that here.
“You have to be mentally strong. It’s not easy changing clubs. I’ve had two good loan experiences and one bad one. Brentford and Birmingham went well for me while I didn’t really play as much as I would have wanted at Granada.
“I hope this proves a successful move for me. I know this is a massive club with a massive fan base. I can’t wait for the first home game to experience that atmosphere everyone talks about.
“I believe I can get my career back on track at Rangers because ultimately I want to go back to Arsenal and play for the first team there. That, obviously, is my long-term ambition.”
I know this is a massive club with a massive fan base. I can’t wait for the first home game to experience that atmosphere everyone talks about