Opinion
Following a 1-0 win over Bournemouth on Sunday, Brentford secured their place in the Premier League promotion play-offs, which could see the side enter the top tier of English football for the first time since 1947.
Despite participating in the promotion play-offs last year, this season was not anticipated to be as successful due to the exit of star striker Ollie Watkins to Aston Villa.
Watkins scored 26 goals in 50 appearances during the 2019-20 season for the Bees. He has maintained his form and dominance in this year’s Premier League, notching up 14 goals in 33 games so far in his first season with Aston Villa.
When Brentford lost the 2019-20 EFL Championship player of the year out of their attack, they were quick to find a replacement up front with Ivan Toney.
Toney was bought from Peterborough United having just been named as the EFL League 1 player of the year after scoring 24 goals in 32 matches in 2019-20. Despite spending the majority of his career in League 1, Toney has also played two games in the Premier League during his stint at Newcastle United.
This season, Ivan Toney has been a class above and is currently the leading goal scorer for the Championship with 29, with Norwich’s Teemu Pukki next best on 25.
Toney is also fourth in assists with ten, equal with fellow Brentford teammate Bryan Mbeumo. Despite Toney stating that he feels the intensity in the Championship is a lot higher in comparison to League 1, the English-Jamaican striker seems to have adapted to the new league just fine.
(Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Toney’s ability to use both feet and his head confidently as well as his rapid footwork makes him stand out to anyone watching live or looking at the stats sheets. Having scored almost a quarter of his goals this year with either his left foot or his head, Toney’s goal-scoring ability is second to none.
Ivan Toney’s form hasn’t gone unnoticed as he has sparked interest from both the Jamaican and English international set-ups. Reportedly, Toney is undergoing the process to claim his Jamaican passport due to members of his family being from there. If this is done, it would allow him to represent Jamaica in a last-ditch effort to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
However, due to Toney being born and raised in the UK, if he does have hopes of potentially playing in the 2022 World Cup, or a World Cup at all, it would make more sense for him to choose to play with the three lions on his chest instead.
On the topic, Toney has stated: “I just want to see the season out and do as well as I can for Brentford. Listen, whether it’s Jamaica or England, I’ll do my best for whoever I decide to go with… I’ll have a strong discussion with my family, and we’ll choose the more suitable choice”.
With promotion to the Premier League a real possibility for Matthew Benham’s Brentford, I look forward to potentially watching Ivan Toney mix with the best English football has to offer.
Toney has been linked with many current Premier League clubs on the back of his recent form and it is possible that he will follow in similar footsteps to now England international Ollie Watkins next season. As if the chance of promotion wasn’t already enough stress for the Brentford management, it looks like their star player staying on may also depend on it.
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