Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony has urged Chelsea and Manchester United to make a move for 26-year-old English striker Ivan Toney.
As quoted by Goal, Darragh MacAnthony suggested that both Chelsea and Manchester United could use a quality number nine, urging them to look to invest big money in Toney, who has proven his pedigree since Brentford’s promotion to the Premier League.
MacAnthony knows all about Toney, having seen him perform on a weekly basis during his time at Peterborough. The 26-year-old striker hit 49 goals over the course of two seasons before moving to Brentford. Then he helped the Bees secure promotion to the Premier League, and he has scored 20 top-flight goals since then.
MacAnthony told The Hard Truth podcast, “I’ll say this. Is there a better number nine at Chelsea? Is there a better number nine at Man United? Then let me ask you a question. If you were Man United and Chelsea and you can go and write a cheque for £100million and buy a player from Holland or a player from France and Italy and give them a year-and-a-half to acclimatize, are you going to write a cheque and buy one of the top three number nines in the Premier League, who is not even in the prime of his career?”
“If Liverpool had owners who would write that cheque, I would happily have him in Liverpool’s team, like that. The proof is in the pudding, he’s promoted to the Premier League with a team that’s not fancied to stay up, he’s one of the top three goalscorers in the Premier League in a team that, again, is not a favorite to be top-10, top-12 in the Premier League.
”Only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have scored more goals in the Premier League this season. Toney has eight goals and two assists from 11 league games this season.
Chelsea is currently reliant on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who joined the club towards the end of the summer transfer window. However, the Gabonese striker is not getting any younger and will likely regress with time. The Blues could definitely use a younger alternative, and Toney would be a superb acquisition for them.
However, the English striker is yet to prove himself at the highest level with this country or in the UEFA Champions League. It seems unlikely that Chelsea will make a move for the 26-year-old if the asking price is unreasonable.
As far as Manchester United are concerned, they are banking on Marcus Rashford as their main goalscorer. With Cristiano Ronaldo banished from the first-team scene, for now, Erik ten Hag will have to rely on Rashford to score week in and week out.
It is no secret that both teams are in desperate need of a goal scorer, and Toney certainly fits the bill, in theory. The 26-year-old will want to play for a top club and test himself at a higher level. A move to Manchester United or Chelsea could be tempting for the English striker, and it remains to be seen how the situation develops.
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The Bees will not want to lose the player any time soon but they could be left powerless if a top club comes in with a lucrative offer. Toney was linked with both clubs during the summer transfer window but nothing materialized in the end.
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