Why Chelsea must get striker Ivan Toney

In January’s exclusive interview with Sky after his eight-month ban for breaching betting rules, Toney admitted he wants to leave Brentford to “play for a top club.” In his last full Premier League season in 2022-23, the 28-year-old scored 20 goals in 33 matches.

Chelsea’s spending practices were rightly criticized the past few seasons, but it needs to make one, final expensive purchase to keep the club on the right track. A proven striker is invaluable in the Premier League.

Manchester City bought Erling Haaland, the hottest striker in the world, in 2022 for $95 million and has won two Premier League titles since. Manchester United spent $82 million on Rasmus Hojlund last summer to stay competitive, and in August Tottenham spent $86 million on Dominic Solanke, who scored 19 goals last season. Clubs serious about title contention invest heavily in elite strikers.

Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea’s current starting striker, joined the club for $38 million last season. He scored 14 goals in 2023-24, but his difference between goals and expected goals — the number of goals that can be expected to be scored based on where and how a shot is taken — was the fourth lowest in the league last season at -4.6.

Toney demonstrated higher efficiency in 2022-23 with a +1.3 difference, per data from FBref. Additionally, his Premier League penalty success rate is 92%, ranking ninth all time.

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, 2023-24 Premier League Young Player of the Season, currently leads the league in assists after finishing second in the stat last season. Giving Palmer a clinical scoring threat like Toney could help Chelsea push for top four in the table.

Furthermore, losing talent like Toney to the Saudi League isn’t good for the sport. The league is known for poaching the world’s most entertaining players, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema and Riyad Mahrez. 

A move to Chelsea would be great for Toney, the Blues and soccer in general.