Clubs surely waiting to see if the form comes back, it would be risky to sign him off the back of half a season out.

He owes it to Brentford as well.

comment by HB Maybe Beale wasn't the mastermind (U21935)
posted 3 seconds ago
Clubs surely waiting to see if the form comes back, it would be risky to sign him off the back of half a season out.

He owes it to Brentford as well.
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Surely someone will take a gamble on him.

2 to 1 he goes to Arsenal

He’s staying at Brentford.

El Ettigaf hafhoffiffaf in saudi

Doubt half a season off will effect him too bad. A major injury would be a different matter but if anything, bar a few games to warm up, having him with fresh legs for the run in would likely benefit a lot of sides.

comment by manusince52 (U9692)
posted 7 minutes ago
2 to 1 he goes to Arsenal
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Did you just make that up? He is actually 2/1 to go to Arsenal. 6/4 to go to Chelsea. I am not sure it is massively wise offering odds on Toney's next club though...

comment by Frank van Eijs (U1734)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by manusince52 (U9692)
posted 7 minutes ago
2 to 1 he goes to Arsenal
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Did you just make that up? He is actually 2/1 to go to Arsenal. 6/4 to go to Chelsea. I am not sure it is massively wise offering odds on Toney's next club though...
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm going to play it safe and back whoever he backs.

comment by Frank van Eijs (U1734)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by manusince52 (U9692)
posted 7 minutes ago
2 to 1 he goes to Arsenal
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Did you just make that up? He is actually 2/1 to go to Arsenal. 6/4 to go to Chelsea. I am not sure it is massively wise offering odds on Toney's next club though...
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Yes I did make it up, never happens when you need it.

I reckon he will go to Chelsea and probably flop.

He'll go to Arsenal at the end of the season.

comment by Elvis (U7425)
posted 2 minutes ago
I reckon he will go to Chelsea and probably flop.
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What makes you think he will flop at Chelsea? I can't think of many strikers that have gone there and flopped. Maybe one: Torrhiguifalcashevlukakmoratkezmutsuttpathaverfeliyang

And even they almost reached double figures for Chelsea goals.

comment by Elvis (U7425)
posted 9 minutes ago
I reckon he will go to Chelsea and probably flop.
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Toney would bet on it.

The FFP squeeze seems to make it unlikely he'll leave before the summer, so a lot depends how he performs in the second half of the season. Not only in terms of whether the break from football and the personal impact from having his name dragged through the mud had any impact on his levels. There's also got to be some question whether his performance levels will be sustained over a period of time. That's not to deny the fact that he was a really classy as well as prolific striker the season before last. But you do see some players whose careers hit a purple patch that's quite brief. E.g. Diego Milito had a fairly unremarkable career, scoring well in the Spanish second tier then in his mid-20s getting a move to Zaragoza in the top tier, and he basically had three consecutive seasons when he was on fire in his late 20s: final season at Zaragoza, his one year at Bologna, and his glorious first season at Inter. A top club would be glad to part with £80 million for him if they could guarantee three seasons worth of excellence, but they'd want to be sure he isn't close to the end of that purple patch.

comment by Frank van Eijs (U1734)
posted 13 minutes ago
comment by Elvis (U7425)
posted 2 minutes ago
I reckon he will go to Chelsea and probably flop.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
What makes you think he will flop at Chelsea? I can't think of many strikers that have gone there and flopped. Maybe one: Torrhiguifalcashevlukakmoratkezmutsuttpathaverfeliyang

And even they almost reached double figures for Chelsea goals.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

City or Liverpool don't need him. So the next best choice currently is Arsenal. Simple really.

comment by HB Maybe Beale wasn't the mastermind (U21935)
posted 1 hour, 29 minutes ago
Clubs surely waiting to see if the form comes back, it would be risky to sign him off the back of half a season out.

He owes it to Brentford as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Arguably Eriksen owed it to Brentford as well after Frank gave him an opportunity first to train with the squad and then show he could still cut it in the EPL. Didn't stop him signing for Utd after 11 games.

Perhaps Toney is the exception but most players don't think about what they owe to the clubs for supporting them, they take the opportunities when presented. And I understand why, you never know if you'll get the opportunity again.

comment by Frank van Eijs (U1734)
posted 1 hour, 14 minutes ago
comment by Elvis (U7425)
posted 2 minutes ago
I reckon he will go to Chelsea and probably flop.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
What makes you think he will flop at Chelsea? I can't think of many strikers that have gone there and flopped. Maybe one: Torrhiguifalcashevlukakmoratkezmutsuttpathaverfeliyang

And even they almost reached double figures for Chelsea goals.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

comment by Szoboss - Glory Days (U6997)
posted 16 minutes ago
comment by HB Maybe Beale wasn't the mastermind (U21935)
posted 1 hour, 29 minutes ago
Clubs surely waiting to see if the form comes back, it would be risky to sign him off the back of half a season out.

He owes it to Brentford as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Arguably Eriksen owed it to Brentford as well after Frank gave him an opportunity first to train with the squad and then show he could still cut it in the EPL. Didn't stop him signing for Utd after 11 games.

Perhaps Toney is the exception but most players don't think about what they owe to the clubs for supporting them, they take the opportunities when presented. And I understand why, you never know if you'll get the opportunity again.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Toney has already said that he owes Brentford. But I suspect that won't stretch beyond this season.

And if he gets the chance of a big move in the summer, he has to take it considering his age. Could be his last chance.

Are people maybe getting slightly carried away regarding his ability? He is the same level as Watkins and Solanke. They are not elite level strikers.

Do players 'owe' loyalty to their clubs? Clubs by and large don't provide opportunities to play or generous salaries out of altruism, but because they judge the player will provide surplus value to the club over and above the cost of their labour. Of course, sometimes there are human relationships involved and players may feel grateful for the trust and generosity they receive. But e.g. for Frank, it was presumably a low-risk gamble to bring in Eriksen: negligible costs and a huge upside if he could play to anywhere near his previous ability. Brentford standing by Toney was basically the only thing they could do: if it were legally possible to cancel his contract, why write off their biggest asset when he'd be back in six months to either score goals or generate a massive profit for Brentford?

We can argue that the relationship between a player and the fans can be less mercantile: supporters give trust, love, etc. without being in an economic relationship with the player. But we've seen how quickly that fan loyalty can evaporate when they no longer consider the player to be a valuable contributor, so perhaps it's not such a different dynamic.

comment by Frank van Eijs (U1734)
posted 8 minutes ago
Are people maybe getting slightly carried away regarding his ability? He is the same level as Watkins and Solanke. They are not elite level strikers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I think that people are getting a bit carried away. He's really only had 1 good season in the PL, which was last year. The number of penalties he has scored inflate his numbers quite significantly.

Don't get me wrong, he is a good player and I love the fact that he has risen up theorugh the tables later in his caeer.

But is he really worth £60m+ or whatever it will take to get him? I have serious doubts on that.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 17 minutes ago
Do players 'owe' loyalty to their clubs? Clubs by and large don't provide opportunities to play or generous salaries out of altruism, but because they judge the player will provide surplus value to the club over and above the cost of their labour. Of course, sometimes there are human relationships involved and players may feel grateful for the trust and generosity they receive. But e.g. for Frank, it was presumably a low-risk gamble to bring in Eriksen: negligible costs and a huge upside if he could play to anywhere near his previous ability. Brentford standing by Toney was basically the only thing they could do: if it were legally possible to cancel his contract, why write off their biggest asset when he'd be back in six months to either score goals or generate a massive profit for Brentford?

We can argue that the relationship between a player and the fans can be less mercantile: supporters give trust, love, etc. without being in an economic relationship with the player. But we've seen how quickly that fan loyalty can evaporate when they no longer consider the player to be a valuable contributor, so perhaps it's not such a different dynamic.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd imagine it's more about how a club behaves and operates as opposed to the basics of what they do.

Eriksen for example, I believe he's said that Thomas Frank in particular helped him on the mental side of returning to the game. Trusting his body on a pitch. Developing the confidence to play professionally again when the last time he did was the heart attack incident, it must be difficult.

Now you could say that's just them trying to get the best out of their player but I'd like to think there's a more 'human' aspect to it rather than the more calculated view of it's a low risk gamble with large upsides if he performs.

Toney as well. I'm not sure what they did for him but there's a whole spectrum of support ranging from calling him a dozy pr*ck and saying see you in 8 months (which I know would never happen!) to counselling, engaging him in team activities, speaking to trainers about what he can work on whilst privately training etc etc.

I say all this but my overall point is that I'm not sure it really matters when opportunity knocks. I'm sure Eriksen was very grateful but not so much that he'd turn down Utd to stay. I suspect the same would be true of Toney and, say Arsenal. And I don't blame them, football is a relatively short career and opportunities to join massive clubs may not come again.

i actually really rate Toney but I find it absolutely mad the way he's talked about as someone who would turn a team into title challengers, that ban was the best thing that ever happened to his reputation

comment by Christopher huffing glou (U20930)
posted 9 minutes ago
i actually really rate Toney but I find it absolutely mad the way he's talked about as someone who would turn a team into title challengers, that ban was the best thing that ever happened to his reputation
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Indeed. He has scored 32 PL goals in 2 seasons, which sounds good. But 11 of them were penalties. I think it just demonstrates the lack of quality no.9s that he is being elevated so highly.