When £100m-rated Ivan Toney was "going to sign for Rangers"

When £100m-rated Ivan Toney was “going to sign for Rangers”

Glasgow Rangers managed to sign three talented youngsters during the January transfer window as Philippe Clement bolstered his hungry Ibrox squad ahead of what could be a hectic second half of the season.

Fabio Silva, Oscar Cortes, and Mohamed Diomande were the three signings and all three could play their part in the coming weeks.

Silva has already scored twice for Rangers, while the latter two looked bright while making their first start for the club during the 2-0 Scottish Cup win over Ayr United.

The Light Blues did miss out on a few players last month though, and Clement could rue some of these calls.

Lawrence Shankland was linked perennially throughout January, while Brazilian Jefte looked like he was making the move to Scotland, then the deal collapsed at the last minute, ensuring more bad news for the Gers.

This is not the first time the Glasgow side have missed out on transfer targets, with several over the years eventually going on to bigger and brighter things.

One name was linked a few years ago and is now thriving in the Premier League. He is also likely to be on the move this summer; Ivan Toney.

Toney was ‘going to sign’ for Rangers

After Covid-19 curtailed the 2019/20 campaign, Steven Gerrard set about building a team which could end Celtic’s hegemony of Scottish football and prevent them from winning the elusive tenth league title in a row.

Kemar Roofe, Calvin Bassey, Ianis Hagi and Cedric Itten were all signed to prevent this from happening and over the following 12 months, the Light Blues were ruthless as they swatted away all challengers and romped to the Premiership crown.

They went the entire 2020/21 campaign undefeated, conceding just 13 goals, yet they failed to capitalise on this and failed to retain the trophy the following season.

Would the outcome have been different had they signed Ivan Toney in 2020? With Celtic keen on the player too, quite probably.

Gerrard eyed up a swoop for the then Peterborough United striker alongside their Old Firm rivals, but no move ever materialised as he ended up signing for Brentford instead.

While speaking to former Ibrox legend Ally McCoist a year later, Toney admitted he could have made the move to Scotland, saying:

“Like you said I was going to sign for Celtic – but I was also going to sign for Rangers.”

What a piece of business it could have been for the Ibrox side, especially when you consider how he has taken the Premier League by storm over the previous few years.

Toney’s numbers after being linked with Rangers

The 6 foot 1 Englishman only cost the Bees a reported fee of £5m, with another £5m in potential add-ons, and it looked like it could prove to be a wonderful bargain.

Toney certainly justified the £5m during his debut season for Brentford as he scored 31 goals and grabbed ten assists across 45 Championship matches as the London club secured promotion to the top flight for the first time since the 1946/47 season.

The former Posh striker didn’t take long to settle into life in the Premier League and eventually ended up bagging 12 goals in 33 matches as the club finished in a respectable 13th position.

His performances led BBC reporter Simon Stone to describe him as “sensational” and this laid the foundations for his second season in the top flight.

If this campaign was impressive, the 27-year-old took things to the next level during the 2022/23 season, finding the back of the net on 20 occasions in the league, and this meant he finished third in the race for the Golden Boot, which was won by Erling Haaland.

In May 2023, Toney was banned for eight months for breaching FA betting rules, admitting to 232 breaches, only making his return to action last month.

Three goals in just four matches prove that he has returned with a bang and his goals could ensure Brentford retain their top-flight status having endured a tough opening half to the campaign.

Ivan Toney’s two full seasons in the Premier League

2021/22

2022/23

Goals

12

20

Assists

5

4

Shots on target per game

0.9

1.3

Big chances created

10

12

Successful dribbles per game

0.7

0.5

Stats via Sofascore

These last few seasons have certainly shown that the Light Blues missed out on a player who could have taken them to the next level and solved their attacking woes which plagued them in the two seasons post-2020/21.

The centre-forward is now wanted by some of the biggest teams in England and, judging by his reported value, the Gers had a nightmare by not stumping up £5m back in 2020.

Ivan Toney’s valuation in 2024

Brentford manager Thomas Frank recently admitted that this could be the final few months of Toney’s Brentford spell, saying:

“It is relatively obvious that Ivan Toney will probably be sold this summer. We also know what he is worth. I don’t think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him right now.”

Arsenal and Chelsea are just two of the Premier League sides who have shown a keen interest in making a move for Toney in recent months, and this revelation by Frank will certainly have given them a big boost.

Manchester United may also join the race for the 27-year-old hitman, yet Brentford’s valuation of around £100m could potentially make them go after other targets during the summer transfer window.

Rangers definitely missed the boat on Toney, and now it looks as though he will be playing for a side in the Champions League while challenging for major honours in England.

Of course, that is not to say he would have been a success in Scotland, but the fact that he has netted a stunning total of 71 goals since the start of the 2020/21 season – while missing eight months – indicates that he would have shone at Ibrox.

The missed opportunity represents yet another occasion where the penny-pinching board refused to shell out on a player, and it looks like it has come back to haunt them, especially with his recent £100m valuation.

Hopefully Clement does not rue missing out on a few targets he wanted to sign in January as the season progresses and make the same mistakes as his predecessors.