Scouting: Ivan Toney
Peterborough's prolific striker pushing for promotion.
Ivan Toney is probably not a name you've heard before. An ex-Newcastle United player that featured in 2 substitute appearances before being sent on a plethora of loan spells was purchased outright by League One side Peterborough United for what Transfermarkt reported to be £650,000. He has repaid The Posh in bags, leading Peterborough to 6th in League One, only 2 points from 2nd place, before coronavirus brought footballing activity to a standstill.
Being linked with a switch back to Newcastle in January 2020, given his goalscoring antics and Joelinton's lack there of, Toney really is a true goalscorer and should be playing higher than League One. A whopping 25 goals and 5 assists in 2,842 league minutes has fired Toney to top of the league in the goal scoring charts, 9 ahead of the next closest. An astounding 4.1 shots per game should make the 25 goals come as no surprise. That's more than the measly 1.4 shots per game that current Newcastle striker Joelinton manages, with the Brazilian costing nearly 65 times what Toney cost Peterborough. Newcastle would've been clever to hold on to the Englishman.
Toney isn't necessarily a poacher however, managing a very decent 1.7 key passes per game as well, the highest in Peterborough's squad. It's no wonder Ivan has contributed to over 40% of The Posh's goals.
With promotion to the Championship in their sights, Toney is only valued at a poultry £400,000 by Transfermarkt. It would be expected that any club wanting Ivan would probably have to pay over his market valuation. Easily payable by many Championship clubs and above, Toney should perhaps be aiming slightly higher than where he is currently performing. A move to Leeds United to challenge Patrick Bamford for the starting striker spot could be fascinating. It'd save Leeds millions by not purchasing current RB Leipzig loanee Jean-Kevin Augustin and he's not too much older. With fan's opinions split on Bamford, signing Toney could give Leeds an option off the bench if they're not to start him.
Alternatively, a switch to Nottingham Forest could see Ivan's numbers spike even higher. With Lewis Grabban now 32, he's become more injury prone however, he's still scoring prolifically for the Nottingham side, sitting 3rd in the goalscoring charts for the Championship at the time of writing. Learning under the tutelage of Grabban could be useful for Toney and aged only 24, Toney could be leading the line at Forest for several years should he continue his prolific goalscoring.
A move back to the north-east with Newcastle has potentially been swept under the carpet, given their rumoured £300m takeover. Given the riches they'd have at their disposal, a move for Toney wouldn't make much sense and he'd definitely be back-up to whoever Newcastle brought in.
A move to a lower-tier Premier League club could be on the cards, with Aston Villa reported to have been showing interest in January 2019. Having been promoted to the Premier League since, The Villains have signed Wesley and Samatta since, but Toney could be an able deputy in their stead. With prospective relegation back to the Championship, Villa could use Toney to challenge and go straight back to the Premier League and fight to stay there. Not costing an entire warchest either, Toney could be a smart signing for Dean Smith.
Were Peterborough to be promoted this season, there is every chance that Toney could stay with The Posh side. Seemingly in comfortable surroundings and forming a deadly partnership with teammate Mo Eisa, Peterborough could be the surprise package in the Championship. Scoring goals for fun, Toney and Eisa could be giving some second tier sides a very tough time if they both stay for the 2020/21 season.
With every chance his market value could rise soon, someone needs to come in and steal Toney from League One. And rapidly.
About the Creator
Potential Punts
I’m a massive football fan interested in statistics! I hope you all find the new scouting content to be interesting, and I’ll be posting as often as I can. Hope you all enjoy the content!
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