Ivan Toney of Brentford was a sought man in the summer of 2024, when a few Premier League teams were in need of a striker. However, the 28-year-old found the chance to play with Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino at Al-Ahli to be too alluring.
The academy graduate from Northampton Town turned down offers from Arsenal and Manchester United, but the pull of the Saudi Pro League’s wealth persuaded him to leave his home country of England and, consequently, his previous employers, Brentford.
Toney was being hailed as a £100 million line-leader just a year prior, so his move from England to Saudi Arabia felt unimpressive. Rather, he became one of the highest-paid English football players after moving for a mere £33.6 million.
The shooter has already been with his Saudi Pro League employers for six months after making his debut against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in mid-September 2024. How is he doing six months into his stay? Let’s examine his brief tenure thus far in more detail.
Toney’s Promising Start to Life in Saudi Arabia
At the time of writing, the Englishman is level on 16 league goals
It’s possible that leaving the Premier League, the most watched league in the world, ruined his prospects of succeeding Kane, forcing Thomas Tuchel to consider Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa.
However, how is Toney, who was born in Northampton, adjusting to life in the Middle East? Trailblazer Ronaldo has kept scoring goals for Al-Nassr like a pastime, and Jhon Duran is doing well with the legendary Portuguese player. Has the Englishman felt the same happiness?
Well, in a nutshell, sure. As of this writing, Toney, a talismanic presence in the six-yard box, has scored 22 goals in 29 appearances across all competitions, added five more assists to his resume, and established himself as something of a record-setter.
Despite his personal records, the Englishman’s ability to score goals has caused him to leave wreckage at his feet. This is predicted to continue since he is one of the players who is too excellent to be playing in Saudi Arabia’s top division.
Statistics for Senior Clubs by Ivan Toney
Club
Games
Objectives
Helps
Red/Yellow Cards
Brentford
141
72
23
30/1
United of Peterborough
94
49
13.
24/1
Town of Northampton
60
13.
5.
12/1
United Scunthorpe
35
15.
One
7/0
Al-Ahli
29
22
5.
2/0
Wigan Sports
28
6.
2.
4/0
Town of Shrewsbury
26
7.
7.
11/1
FC Barnsley
21
2.
2.
3/0
Newcastle United
4.
0
0
0/0
More recently, Toney achieved two personal goals while leading Matthias Jaissle’s team to a 3-2 victory over Al-Hilal, who recently allowed Neymar to depart for Santos, further demonstrating his scorching form.
Toney, widely regarded as one of the world’s top penalty takers, scored a hat-trick at the Kingdom Arena as his team won the thrilling five-goal match. The line-leader is now having his finest scoring run of his senior year as a result.
In full: the 🏴 Ivan Toney hat-trick ⚽️🎩#RoshnSaudiLeague pic.twitter.com/fZHMIGZhs7
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) February 28, 2025
It marks the most goals Toney has ever achieved in seven league games, going all the way back to a brace in a 5-0 victory against Al Riyadh in January. He has scored a total of 12 goals over that time.
The former Newcastle United player is now tied with Karim Benzema for goals this season after scoring his first, and maybe many, treble since joining the team in September. The Al-Ahli striker has more than Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
According to an ESPN story, Manchester United decided against a move because the striker’s press was not intense enough, but given Toney’s prolific goal-scoring at Ah-Ahli, they may be regretting their choice.
Brentford’s Post-Toney Life
Wissa and Mbeumo have shared the goalscoring burden
Toney scored 72 goals in 141 games for the west London-based team, demonstrating his constant threat in front of goal. Of course, replacing him was considered a daunting endeavour, but Thomas Frank and his entourage had already prepared for their go-to man’s impending departure.
The manager, Thomas Frank, 51, changed his strategy of pushing it long and hoping the center-forward would hold it up after his aforementioned departure and a string of injuries to newcomer Igor Thiago, who made a four-game comeback in December 2024.
Since Toney’s departure, the team has become much more possession-based, with Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa sharing the goal scoring load. As of this writing, the former has scored 15 goals, while the latter, who Tottenham Hotspur admires, is not far behind with 14 goals throughout all competitions.
The capital club’s custodian, usually Mark Flekken but occasionally Hakon Valdimarsson, has tended to play from out the back rather than going long to a focal point, as noted in an in-depth report from The Athletic. In actuality, the Bees had time to get used to life without Toney when he was suspended from all football-related activities for violating FA betting rules in 2023, but they are playing more fluidly and are currently aiming for a top-half finish.
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