Ivan Toney took his goal tally this season to 22 in 29 games as he bagged an inspirational hat-trick against title-challengers Al Hilal.
The 28-year-old has proven himself as one of the top strikers in the Saudi Pro League since he moved to Al Ahli for a vast £40m. However, the Saudi club will surely be seeing this move as a steal thanks to Toney’s performances paying off his hefty transfer-fee.
The Englishmen is one goal behind the leagues top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo in his first season in the Middle East. Toney still has 11 goals to go to beat his personal record for 33 goals in a single season. He got this with Brentford in their promotion winning 2020/21 season.
However, Toney did beat one of his records following his three goals last night. The former Premier League forward has now scored in seven straight league games, the most in his career. In those seven matches, he has scored 12 times.
Al Ahli teammate Abdullah Abdo shared a video on Instagram showing Toney jokingly putting a seatbelt over his match-ball. One team who won’t be laughing about the situation is Arsenal.
(Image: Getty Images)
When conversations began regarding Toney leaving Brentford, the Gunners were rumoured to be one of the most interested clubs to sign the prolific striker. There were reports that the Arsenal officials had met with Toney to discuss a possible move.
The Gunners had no doubt regarding the 28-year-olds ability, but silence fell on the potential transfer due to Arsenal’s concerns with Toney’s personality. They were concerned it wouldn’t fit in with the squad’s dynamic.
Although it may have been the right decision then, Mikel Arteta is now left with no available strikers; the Spaniard is having to make-do with Mikel Merino up-front.
Gunners fans will never know whether signing Toney would have made the difference to Arsenal’s title challenge this season, but the Englishmen is certainly proving that he hasn’t lost his prowess.
