Brentford boss Thomas Frank has accepted the inevitable: Ivan Toney will leave this summer. But where should he go?
The Bees know they have one of the best strikers in the Premier League in his prime, and there are several big boys in desperate need for a new No. 9.
This is a perfect situation for them to cash in on Toney and the 27-year-old England international looks set to take the final step to one of the Premier League’s elite.
When will Ivan Toney leave?
“It is relatively obvious that Ivan Toney will probably be sold this summer,” Frank told Danish media, via Tipsbladet. “We also know what he is worth. I don’t think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him right now.
“He is a really skilled striker who is in his prime football age. Personally, as a coach, I would prefer to keep Toney but one day it could be fun to see him on a top team. This winter we actually had no offers for him, but it will surprise me if there aren’t a lot of clubs that will be interested in him.”
Where should Ivan Toney go?
There are three obvious clubs who should be interested in the Premier League: Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.
Probably in that order is who needs Toney most.
Arsenal are desperate for a true number nine as the final piece of Mikel Arteta’s jigsaw, and Toney would be a perfect fit for the way they play and he’d offer something totally different to their current batch of attackers. It’s not ridiculous to say that if Arsenal sign Toney this summer then they could be 50-50 title favorites with Manchester City for next season. Each season they have spent big on a player they needed (Rice last summer is the best example) and the Gunners could afford to sign Toney.
Chelsea are obviously able to afford Toney, too, and they have a big void up top this season as Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling have been tasked with scoring the goals. Christopher Nkunku playing off Toney like Mbeumo and Wissa do for Brentford would be sensational. Todd Boehly could well be readying another eight-year contract for Toney.
Then, there’s Manchester United. They could afford Toney, technically, but they need to do a lot of squad re-generation and Rasmus Hojlund is finally starting to flourish. That means that United signing Toney is more unlikely than it was last summer, but given the new sporting direction of the club under Sir Jim Ratcliffe, it’s difficult to know which direction they will go in: young prospects, or established, experienced stars?