Ivan Toney is in outstanding form at Brentford and Simon Jordan believes the England international would break the 30-goal barrier if he was leading the line for Premier League champions Manchester City, speaking to talkSPORT (14 March, 11.50am).
We’re not sure what was the most impressive. The fact that Toney went for it – hitting a shot from around the halfway line during the Bees’ recent 3-2 London derby victory over Fulham – or the fact he nearly scored it.
The Brentford talisman was only inches away from his very own ‘David Beckham vs Wimbledon moment’. And it’s testament not only to his supreme self-confidence but also to his frankly obscene technical ability that Toney would even consider such an attempt, let alone have Bernd Leno panicking and backpeddling, eventually emitting a major sigh of relief.
Only Harry Kane and Erling Haaland have scored more than Toney’s 15 Premier League goals in 2022/23. Two of those came against City in November; Thomas Frank’s side triumphing 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
And Jordan, the former Crystal Palace chairman, believes the late-blooming number nine would be even more prolific in the sky blue of Man City, while insisting that Toney – an FA ban notwithstanding – should be an almost-automatic pick in Gareth Southgate’s England roster these days.
How many would Ivan Toney score if he left Brentford for Manchester City?
“Every day of the week, he should be in the (England) squad for his performances. He is as good as any centre-forward out there now,” Jordan argues.
“If he was playing for Man City, he’d score 25 to 30 goals for them. I mean, I know Haaland will probably score 50!
“When (Brentford) first came into the Premier League, there was a sniffy attitude about ‘oh, he’s a bit unorthodox’. No he wasn’t, he was bleeding good! He’s a good player.”
Southgate is due to announce his latest squad on Thursday; The Three Lions preparing for this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers versus Italy and Ukraine. It remains to be seen whether Toney is included; The Guardian reporting that the former Newcastle United youngster faces a ban of several months after ‘accepting multiple charges of breaching the Football Association’s betting rules.’
Brentford, The i say, value Toney at around £40 million. A long-term absence from the top-flight, however, may scupper any hopes of a big-money move to a league giant.
Haaland, meanwhile, hit the target five times in just 35 minutes as Man City hammered RB Leipzig 7-0 in the UEFA Champions League last-16 second leg on Tuesday night.
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