England forward, Ivan Toney has departed Brentford to join Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli for £40m.
Toney’s move has brought his four-year stint at Brentford to an end, in which he scored 72 goals and contributed 23 assists in 141 appearances amidst an eight-month ban for breaching betting rules.
His performances attracted rumoured interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, but Al-Ahli ultimately signed Toney for £40m with a three-year contract accepted by the 28 year-old.
“It’s been a pleasure to work with Ivan over the last four years,” commented Head Coach, Thomas Frank.
Frank praised Toney for his performances as he continued: “He has averaged more than one goal every two games, which is an unbelievable number.
“On the pitch, he has been a fantastic goalscorer, link-up player and leader. He has pushed the team, the squad and himself.”
“It’s a wonderful journey that we have been on together. Ivan helped the club and the team, and the club and the team have helped Ivan.”
Frank welcomed Toney’s move to Al-Ahli and is hopeful that he will enjoy the experience.
“I’m happy he has an opportunity to try something new in his life and career. We thank him for so many magic moments and wish him all the best for his next chapter. Ivan leaves as a Brentford legend.”
Toney began his career at Northampton Town where he graduated through their youth ranks to score 13 goals in 60 senior appearances, since his debut in November 2012 in a 3-3 draw at Bradford in the First Round of 2012-13 FA Cup.
A difficult stint at Newcastle followed with just four first-team appearances, amidst loan spells at Barnsley, Shrewsbury Town, Scunthorpe United and Wigan before he joined Peterborough in 2018.
It was at London Road where Toney found his groove with 49 goals in 94 appearances in two seasons, which ultimately led to his move to Brentford where he helped them to promotion from Championship to Premier League in May 2021.
At international level, Toney represents England and received his first senior call-up in September 2022, but didn’t make his on-pitch bow until March 2023 in a home win over Ukraine.
He went on to score one goal in six international caps with his sole goal having came via a penalty in a 2-2 friendly draw against Belgium in March 2024,
This summer saw Toney selected for the England squad at UEFA Euro 2024 where he made four substitute appearances, of which he provided a match-winning assist for Harry Kane in a Round of 16 comeback win over Slovakia.
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