“I’m pretty convinced” – Euro 2024 ace linked with Arsenal and Tottenham is Saudi bound
When Arsenal and Tottenham are interested in your services, you know that as a football player you must have something worthwhile about you.
Throw Chelsea into the mix too, and then you can really puff your chest out and believe you’re cock of the walk.
Ivan Toney must’ve thought that all of his dreams had come true and that he’d have the pick of London’s finest clubs to move to this summer, Sky Sports noting the interest of the trio of capital clubs in the 28-year-old.
How quickly then that things can change in football.
Arsenal-linked Ivan Toney off to Saudi
Even though Toney, a bit part player in Euro 2024, still acquitted himself well in the tournament, interest on English shores has dried up.
In fact, none of the clubs in European football’s top five leagues have been willing to make a move for a player that Brentford valued at £100m at the back end of last year (Sky Sports).
That’s left Toney nowhere to go but to Saudi Arabia, which is arguably the biggest of come downs for a player who surely believed he was destined for greater things.
“I’m pretty convinced now, after everything that I’m hearing, that Ivan Toney is on his way to Saudi Arabia,” close friend of the Toney family and former football agent, Jon Smith, told CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.
“Now the interesting thing about that is, under Islamic law, alcohol and betting are two major sins. He’s paid the price for his betting issue, but it’s an interesting dichotomy of when does a sin not become a sin anymore? Certainly, he’s going to have to be very, very careful.
“And it’s also an interesting decision isn’t it, because one would hope that the Saudi league is going to be successful and one assumes that the Gulf states will be promoting themselves heavily in the football world in the coming years, but it’s still considered to be a footballing backwater at present.
“He’s probably chosen the financial route rather than the footballing one and I think he runs the risk of people saying ‘ok he was good, but he went for the money,’ and underplaying his role in the Premier League to date.
“Personally, I was amazed when I was in Saudi in terms of how enthusiastic the audiences locally are, and I’m hoping that the experience produces an enjoyment for Ivan Toney on a par with the rest of the world’s football.
“The Toney’s are a nice family, and I wish them well.”
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