Mauricio Pochettino has Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja in attack, but Chelsea are reportedly still on the hunt for another centre-forward. The Blues had been recently linked with Victor Osimhen, but Fraser Fletcher of TEAMtalk says they’re also showing an interest in Ivan Toney.
The 27-year-old plays for Brentford but is currently suspended until January 16 after being found guilty of breaching FA betting regulations. Toney hasn’t played a competitive game for the Bees since May, but he’s building up match fitness playing for the B team. He recently scored in a friendly against Como too.
Stats show Toney would improve the squad
He’s played for Northampton Town, Newcastle United, Barnsley, Shrewsbury, Scunthorpe United and Wigan Athletic, but Toney’s career didn’t take off until he joined Peterborough (2018 – 2020). He scored 49 goals with 15 assists from 94 games for Posh before Brentford came calling.
The England international has netted 68 goals with 21 assists from 124 games for the Bees, 20 of which came in the Premier League last season. Toney’s had a hand in 41 goals from 66 PL outings since joining Brentford, so it’s easy to see why Chelsea would want him. He outscored every Blues player last season too.
Toney signing would represent shift in transfer strategy
Chelsea under Todd Boehly have targeted young talent and signed them to long-term deals, but that could be changing. Mauricio Pochettino publicly admitted he wants more of a say in transfers, so the Blues could be changing their policy. More experience is needed in the squad, so a 27-year-old fits the bill perfectly.
Toney wouldn’t come cheap, however, as Brentford value him at £60m, according to Felix Keith of the Mirror. It remains to be seen how much Chelsea are willing to spend after putting £1bn to new transfers under Boehly, however.
Arsenal are keen too, so there might be stiff competition for his signature.
In other news, here’s why Jamie Carragher was wrong to criticise Chelsea on Monday Night Football
