A year and a half ago, Ivan Toney was one of the hottest names in English football. Generally considered the de facto understudy to Harry Kane, it seemed like the former Brentford man had a guaranteed spot in the England team.
However, in late 2025, Toney is no longer in the public’s consciousness. He has been putting in some good perfomances for Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, but lack of any sort of interest in the division has seen him fade away into obscurity.
At the age of 29, Toney should be in his physical prime. Could he still deliver the goods in the Premier League?
Does Ivan Toney still have what it takes in the Premier League?
For all intents and purposes, Toney should still be able to perform above and beyond the required standard in the Premier League. The quality of the Saudi Pro League is debatable, but he has still scored 28 goals in 38 league games for Al-Ahli.
As mentioned, Toney is only 29 years of age – he certainly isn’t past his prime at this stage in his career. One may consider his level of motivation, however. After earning mountains upon mountains of money in Saudi Arabia, will he still have the hunger to drive him forward?
Who would benefit the most from signing Ivan Toney?
Out of all the clubs in the big six, Tottenham Hotspur are probably the most in need of a quality striker. They have plenty of centre-forwards, but none of them – Richarlison aside – can produce the goods on a consistent basis.
Randal Kolo Muani looks excellent in the Champions League, but struggles amidst the hustle and bustle of the Premier League. Meanwhile, Mathys Tel has functioned as more of a winger and Dominic Solanke continues to be plagued by injuries.
Manchester United are the other side who could definitely benefit from a striker who can truly show Benjamin Sesko what it takes to score regularly in the world’s toughest league. Would United sanction such a move like they did under Sir Alex Ferguson when they added Swedish legend Henrik Larsson for a title push in a January transfer window?
The rest of the big six all have a top striker they can hang their hat on – Toney isn’t going to want to make the jump back to the Premier League if it means playing second fiddle to a superior talent but at United under Amorim maybe he could do a job?
Teams such as Everton, Brighton and Crystal Palace likely cannot afford to bring him in – on the other hands, outfits like Aston Villa and Newcastle United simply don’t need him in their current positions.
Does Ivan Toney belong in the England World Cup squad?
This is a more difficult question to answer for the man who made his name during what was an exceptionally productive spell at Brentford where he really showed his Premier League class banging in goals and becoming one of the world’s very best penalty takers amongst other things.
Outside of Harry Kane, none of England’s usual forwards have been playing to their usual standards. Ollie Watkins has been very hit and miss for Villa, while Jarrod Bowen has often found himself shunted out wide.
However, it begs the question – will Thomas Tuchel be willing to hand a place in the team to someone playing in a weaker league? With players such as Danny Welbeck rolling back the clock, Toney isn’t without competition.
Were he still playing in the Premier League, Toney’s inclusion would be a no-brainer. As things stand, however, his position remains unclear – especially after he missed out on England’s latest set of international fixtures.