How good is Ivan Toney? Brentford want €115m amid Arsenal and Chelsea interest

Ivan Toney is back! The Brentford striker will make his return from an eight-month betting suspension against Nottingham Forest. Toney has been the most talked about player in England in recent weeks and all eyes will be on the 27-year-old for the televised fixture tonight. It’s been 259 days since Toney last featured competitively against Liverpool last season and the striker was absolutely flying before his ban. Toney scored 20 goals in 33 league games last season to earn his international debut for England before he was charged by the FA but Thomas Frank has confirmed that he will captain Brenford on his return.

“He’s buzzing,” said Frank. “He’s like an eight-year-old boy that just wants to go out and play maybe his first football game. That pure joy of playing football. I’m looking into the eyes of a player that is very committed, very excited and can’t wait. I can break it now: he will start tomorrow and he will also lead the team out of the tunnel. He will be the captain because Christian is injured.I think he is ready [for 90 minutes]. There will be extra adrenaline in him, extra excitement. He will run around like he’s never run around before. He is very fit, he’s played in-house games and played 90 minutes.”

How important is Ivan Toney to Brentford?

Extremely. Brentford’s smart recruitment is the envy of many top-flight rivals but Toney is unquestionably the jewel in their crown. Despite missing the final five games last season through suspension, Toney finished third in the Premier League golden boot race behind Harry Kane and Erling Haaland with 20 goals in 33 games. Toney was integral to Brentford as he scored 34.5% of their goals in the league - only Haaland and Kane scored a higher percentage of their club’s goals. Toney was the match winner in 6 of Brentford’s 15 wins last season with only Kane, Haaland, Mohammed Salah and Marcus Rashford directly winning more games for their clubs in the league. Last season, Brentford scored 1.53 goals per 90 mins in the league, but that’s dropped to 1.37 in Toney’s absence and the Englishman provides much more than just goals.

How good is Ivan Toney?

“Ivan’s skillset in terms of finishing, composure in those moments, link-up play, presence, character… he is a very good package,” Frank’s assessment of Toney’s skillset after signing him from Peterborough in 2020 have certainly proven true. Toney has scored goals across all four divisions in the English football pyramid and he has proven his ability to play in the top-flight since moving to Brentford. Toney is the focal point of Brentford’s attack and he possesses all the characteristics required from a top-level No.9 - physically strong, aerial threat, good movement, excellent finisher link-up and hold-up play. Toney has dovetailed superbly in attack with Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa when Brentford play 4-3-3 and a potential striker partnership with Neal Maupay could be supremely effective if Frank deploys a 3-5-2 formation.

Chelsea and Arsenal interested - could Ivan Toney leave Brentford?

Chelsea and Arsenal have been heavily linked to Toney but Frank revealed this week that there’s a “99%” probability that the striker remains until the summer. FFP restrictions are limiting Arsenal, Chelsea and other Premier League giants' ability to spend in January but funds will be available in the summer. Toney has also strongly hinted that he will remain at Brentford until the summer as he wants to repay the club, Frank and the supporters for standing by him through his suspension. Toney has admitted his desire to play at the highest level but Brentford’s reported asking price in excess of €100m could deter potential suitors as Ben Littlemore, UK Content Manager at Transfermarkt, explains.

"Ivan Toney proved last season that not only could he hit 20 Premier League goals for a mid table team, but he could hold the ball up and bully defenders," he said. "He was a nightmare to play against and rightly earned talk of a move to a bigger club with genuine ambitions of winning trophies being in the pipeline. However, reported rumours of Brentford wanting over £100m (€115m) seem way off the mark for a striker that has only scored more than 12 Premier League goals in one season at the age of 27. The six months of him not playing seem to have only increased his value and reputation in a classic case of football fans only remembering the very best parts of a player's game when they are unavailable."

 Littlemore continued: "In terms of Arsenal's interest, the issue is the Gunners already have a top quality centre forward in Gabriel Jesus who is a year younger than Toney. Albeit a forward not in amazing goalscoring form right now and with some injury issues. What Arsenal really need is a better option off the bench, when Jesus is unavailable up front, or even to challenge his place through bad patches of form than they currently have in Eddie Nketiah. And are you going to spend over €100m for that? If Arsenal could have swapped Nketiah for Toney + €20/€30m then it would have been great business. But to pay the astronomical figures being quoted for a 27-year-old striker who is going to probably spend some time on the bench is crazy, and would be a poor decision from the club."

What is Ivan Toney's market value?

Toney’s market value has naturally decreased during his eight-month absence from €50m to €35 but clubs will need to pay a significantly higher fee to secure his services - either this month or in the summer. Toney’s valuation has risen exponentially since moving to Brentford from Peterborough in September 2020 when his value was just €400k. Toney’s exploits at the London club saw his market value reach its record-high of €50m in March 2023 and it will likely reach that total again if he replicates his performance levels upon his return.