Chelsea eyeing a January move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney
According to Fichajes (h/t Football.London), Chelsea are eyeing up a move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney during the January transfer window.
Toney has had a fantastic season so far with 10 goals and two assists in 14 league appearances, including a match-winning brace against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, days after being left out of the England World Cup squad.
Chelsea have struggled to score goals this season. All three options up front – Kai Havertz, Armando Broja and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have not been able to make an impact in terms of scoring as many as the team would have liked to.
The latter, who was signed on the deadline day of the summer transfer window, was just an unused sub in the Blues’ defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday. So, manager Graham Potter did not have enough faith in the most experienced striker in the squad even when the team needed a goal.
Having a potent and consistent number nine has been an issue for Chelsea. Since Diego Costa left in 2017, the club has signed quite a few top-class centre-forwards, but none of the options has worked out so far.
Toney has been a revelation since he came to the Premier League with Brentford last season. 10 goals in 14 league games this season is an improvement to last year’s 14 goals in 33 appearances in terms of scoring rate. Along with that, his overall game has gone up a level in the last few months.
More Chelsea News:
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- Graham Potter gives his verdict on Chelsea loss against Newcastle United
- David Seaman calls out Chelsea Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for going missing against Arsenal
If we just look at how he terrorised the City defenders and had the composure in the box to score those two goals, it is a sign of a top-class centre-forward. The 26-year-old is fast approaching the peak years of his career. So, Chelsea could do it by signing him sooner rather than later. If they won’t, another top club might land him for themselves.