Manchester United and Chelsea have been advised to consider snapping up “different level” Ivan Toney if planning to spend big on another striker.
- Powerful frontman starring for Bees
- Has earned England recognition
- Could fit those lacking a No.9
WHAT HAPPENED? Premier League heavyweights from Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge do find themselves short on powerful and proven No.9s at present, with both having struggled to find value in that department across recent transfer windows. It could be that they look again in 2023, with Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony – who saw Toney hit 49 goals for his club across two seasons before moving to Brentford in 2020 – suggesting that there is potentially a £100 million ($113m) frontman in west London.
WHAT THEY SAID: MacAnthony has told The Hard Truth podcast: “I’ll say this. Is there a better number nine at Chelsea? Is there a better number nine at Man United? Then let me ask you the question. If you were Man United and Chelsea and you can go and write a cheque for £100million and buy a player from Holland or a player from France and Italy and give them a year-and-a-half to acclimatise, are you going to write a cheque and buy one of the top three number nines in the Premier League, who is not even in the prime of his career?
“If Liverpool had owners who would write that cheque, I would happily have him in Liverpool’s team, like that. The proof is in the pudding, he’s promoted to the Premier League with a team that’s not fancied to stay up, he’s one of the top three goalscorers in the Premier League in a team that, again, is not a favourite to be top-10, top-12 in the Premier League.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Toney hit 31 goals for Brentford when they won promotion out of the Championship in 2020-21 and has gone on to register 20 efforts in the top flight as senior international recognition with England comes his way ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
WHAT NEXT FOR TONEY? Only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have scored more Premier League goals than Toney this season, but he is tied to a contract through to 2025 and would not come cheap if the likes of United and Chelsea are to start shooting admiring glances in his direction.
Source: Goal
