Ivan Toney already in demand months after joining Brentford
Brentford’s 24-year-old goalscoring sensation Ivan Toney is already being heavily scrutinised by scouts from Premier League clubs, according to reports. The one-time Newcastle United forward, who joined the Bees from League One Peterborough United last August for a fee worth up to £10 million with add-ons, has scored 16 league goals in 23 appearances, helping Thomas Frank’s men into automatic promotion contention.
Toney, who came through the youth ranks at his hometown club of Northampton Town, has proven himself in the lower leagues of English football at the likes of Shrewsbury, Scunthorpe and latterly Peterborough, before earning his move back into the second tier. Peterborough’s charismatic owner Darragh MacAnthony insisted that Toney had offers from Premier League clubs last summer but opted to sign for Brentford who offered him a key role and a chance to fire the club into the top-flight.
A news report from the Daily Express claims that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is aware of Toney’s form and is considering him as a long-term recruit at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners’ recruitment department have sent glowing reports to Arteta on Toney and are said to be continuing to monitor his progress, despite the fact that a new striker is by no means at the top of Arteta’s priority list right now.
Celtic criticised for overlooking Toney
Nevertheless, as a talented in-form English striker, Arsenal and Arteta would be foolish not to keep him firmly on their radar. Another leading British club has been criticised for failing to snap up Toney last summer. Former Welsh international forward John Hartson has hit out at former club Glasgow Celtic for overlooking Toney when signing Albian Ajeti for £5 million despite only playing “four games for West Ham in 16 months”. Hartson said Celtic should have taken Toney’s goalscoring record more seriously. Hartson described Toney as someone “who is proven already” and could have hit the ground running at Celtic Park.
Celtic’s loss was well and truly Brentford’s gain. Thomas Frank was on the look-out to replace the goals of Ollie Watkins, who was sold for a club record £28 million to Aston Villa after losing in the Championship playoff final to west London rivals Fulham. Toney’s finishing and athleticism well and truly fit the bill for the Bees, who have made a good living in recent years by recruiting players on an upward career trajectory.
There is very little chance that the Bees would have even considered selling Toney in the January transfer window, given that Frank’s men are just two points off second-placed Swansea with a game in-hand. Automatic promotion is well within reach of Brentford this term, having been one of the most consistent Championship teams in the last couple of seasons.
Bees pinning their hopes in Toney to go one step further and gain automatic promotion
The Bees aren’t blessed with a huge number of attacking options. Marcus Forss is another fine talent in the final third, but the Bees were forced to allow youngster Halil Dervisoglu join Galatasaray on-loan for the remainder of the season due to his frustrations at not breaking into the Brentford XI. Thus, weakening their own attacking options. This season’s fixture congestion is well-documented for its negative impact on elite-level teams. That’s why Thomas Frank will have been loathed to entertain offers from Arsenal and lose his top scorer.
One of the best things about Brentford’s rise in recent years, aside from their stunning new home, has been their proactive nature in the transfer market. Although the Bees will be delighted to have the services of Ivan Toney to call upon, they will be all too aware that Toney won’t be a Brentford player forever. Their recruitment department will already be scouring the lower leagues and abroad for the next Ollie Watkins or Ivan Toney.
According to The Athletic, the Bees are already eyeing up Nottingham Forest youngster Brennan Johnson. They have been impressed by his performances on loan with League One promotion hopefuls Lincoln City and are confident of prising him away from Forest based on the Bees’ track record of developing young players.
Nevertheless, as a homegrown prospect, Forest fans are already enamoured with Johnson, who is the son of their former striker David Johnson. It would require a big fee to secure his services, but if Toney continues in the same rich vein of form, money wouldn’t be an issue for Johnson with Toney certain to command an even bigger fee than the one paid for Ollie Watkins.
