Tottenham told 20-goal Prem striker would be a ‘good addition’ but ‘question marks’ raised after controversy

Journalist Paul Brown has suggested Tottenham bringing in Ivan Toney as a replacement for Harry Kane could be a ‘good bit of business.’

The Brentford striker is currently serving an eight-month ban for breaching betting rules, which will keep him out until January.

Ange Postecoglou would therefore have to wait to have Toney at his disposal if he signed him this summer. But, doing a deal sooner rather than later may make the deal cheaper.

Tottenham have several strikers on their radar at the moment. Gent star Gift Orban is one of their top targets, while Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku is another potential option.

As reported by the Athletic, however, Toney has been ‘discussed internally’ by Tottenham representatives.

Despite the controversy surrounding him, there is no doubt that Toney one of the best goal scorers in the Premier League on his day.

He netted 20 goals in 33 league appearances for Brentford last term, trailing only Erling Haaland (36) and Kane (30) in the scoring charts.

It isn’t clear how much Tottenham would need to pay to sign Toney this summer. Thomas Frank joked in May, though. that he would only entertain an offer of £100m, so he won’t be cheap despite of his ongoing ban.

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Brown highlights Toney ‘question marks’

According to Brown, Toney could prove to be a great signing for Tottenham, but admits there are question marks as to what condition he will be in when he returns to playing football after such a long time on the sidelines.

“If he was to come back the same player he was before the ban, it would be a good bit of business for Spurs. There is just that uncertainty about whether he will still be the same player,” Brown told GiveMeSport. 

“Will it have affected him mentally? How fit will he be from not playing very much? Will it take him time to get back up to speed? There are a lot of question marks there to ask about Toney.

“In theory, it could be a really interesting signing for Spurs and I think Toney and Richarlison competing with each other or even playing alongside each other at times would be quite exciting potentially for Spurs.”

Richarlison has scored just three goals in 36 appearances for Tottenham since making the switch from Everton last summer.

With that in mind, having a quality player like Toney alongside Richarlison could be exactly what the Brazilian needs. Whether or not Tottenham do make a move for Toney this summer, however, remains to be seen.

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