West Ham United: Ivan Toney transfer likely over Chelsea and Arsenal in new update
West Ham United are “far more likely” to sign Ivan Toney from Brentford than Arsenal or Chelsea, according to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook.
Toney has been widely linked with a departure from Brentford this summer, with a variety of Premier League clubs thought to be interested in signing the striker.
However, Crook feels the forward has not performed well enough to convince a club like Arsenal or Chelsea to acquire him and hand him the wage packet he would like to earn.
Speaking on the Premier League All-Access Podcast, he said: “I’m just not sure Toney’s performances since coming back from his betting ban have really been good enough to warrant a move that he would want.
“I think he’s far more likely to end up at a West Ham than he is an Arsenal or Chelsea, to be honest, and they won’t pay him £250,000 a week.”
Ivan Toney would be a stellar signing for West Ham United
Amid Toney’s reputation as a top Premier League striker and an England international with a genuine chance of being part of Gareth Southgate’s squad at the European Championships this summer, it is easy to forget just how meteoric his rise has been.
Just four seasons ago, in 2019/20, the centre-forward was plying his trade in League One with Peterborough United. He was no young prospect then, either, but an established 24-year-old professional.
His 24-goal haul in the third tier convinced Brentford to sign him – and what a signing he has been. Toney netted 31 times in 45 Championship appearances the very next season and added two more in the playoffs – including the opening goal in the final against Swansea City – as the Bees were promoted to the Premier League.
Top-flight totals of 12 and then 20 strikes followed, but a lengthy ban for breaching betting rules has limited his involvement this term, with just four goals in 13 appearances since his return.
However, Toney’s pedigree is evident and, should West Ham manage to land the striker, the prospect of him linking up with the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus is mouthwatering indeed.
In other West Ham news, Xabi Alonso has complimented the Hammers’ performance in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash against Bayer Leverkusen.
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