Former Forgotten Brentford Star Eyes Premier League Return and England Recall
Former Forgotten Brentford Star Eyes Premier League Return and England Recall
Ivan Toney. Remember that name?
Well, the English striker is said to be eyeing a return to the Premier League as he looks to force his way back into contention for World Cup selection.
Sky Sports has said that Everton is one of the teams closely monitoring the situation.
A possible Premier League return for Ivan Toney? 👀 pic.twitter.com/IFbdddpY0L
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 11, 2025
The major difficulty in bringing the former Brentford star back to England would be financial difficulties.
🚨 Several Premier League clubs are keen on bringing England striker Ivan Toney back from Al-Ahli, but his wages could present a major hurdle.
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) November 12, 2025
He currently earns a reported £400,000-a-week AFTER TAX, which is the equivalent of £800,000-a-week in England.
(Source: @SkySports) pic.twitter.com/vPHtY7PdZU
For many Brentford fans, a return to the Premier League might seem like a stab in the heart. Toney is revered as one of the greatest players in the club's history.
Joe, a 37-year-old Brentford fan, summed up the conflicted mood: “The vast majority of fans are thankful for his time here, grateful he’s gone, and don’t want him back.”
But his opinion is not shared by everyone. A person who wished to stay anonymous said, “In my circle he's missed in the sense that he's one of the greatest players in our history. If news came out tomorrow that he's back with us, I'd find it odd.
“He's not strictly needed and I wouldn't necessarily want Thiago's development hampered by it, but I'd be incredibly happy to see him in a Brentford shirt again.”
Time in England
To say Ivan Toney has been one of the most polarising figures in English football over the past five years would be an understatement.
During his time in England, he played for the likes of Newcastle, Peterborough, Wigan, and most famously, Brentford.
And whilst there is no doubt that Toney is an exemplary striker, his off-field antics clouded the public's judgment of him.
On 16 November 2022, just four days before the opening game of the 2022 World Cup, the FA charged Toney with an alleged 232 breaches of its gambling laws.[86] On 20 December, he was charged by the FA with a further 30 breaches of betting laws, bringing the total charges to 262.
In May 2023, he was banned from football for eight months after one of the most prominent cases of illegal sports betting the country has ever seen.
🚨🏴 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | Ivan Toney (27) has been suspended from all football activity with immediate effect for 8 months (runs up to 16 January 2024) + a fine of £50,000 due to betting offences. pic.twitter.com/tVDpkp7NEL
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) May 17, 2023
Toney was cleared of match fixing, as the 13 times he bet on his own side to lose, he did not play.
This betting scandal clearly hampered his career. In the 2022/23 season, Toney had the most prolific season of his career. He scored 21 goals in 35 games as he helped Brentford to their best league position since the 1937/38 season.
However, after he returned from his ban in January 2024, he scored just four goals in 17 matches with Brentford finishing 16th.
After his disappointing half-season, Toney agreed a deal with Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli.
🚨🇸🇦 BREAKING: Ivan Toney to Al Ahli, here we go! Deal completed between clubs with Brentford for £40m package.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 30, 2024
Medical done, contract agreed and Ivan will travel to Saudi this weekend to be presented.
Osimhen deal OFF today and Toney now finally done. pic.twitter.com/v5xAD63DQd
Saudi Arabian Spell
Despite being on a reported wage of £400,00 per week, Ivan Toney is not the highest-paid player in the Saudi Pro League.
Synonymous with their lucrative contracts, Kalidou Koulibaly, Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez and Cristiano Ronaldo are on higher contracts.
His time in Saudi Arabia has been nothing short of prolific. In his first season, he scored 30 goals in all competitions as Al-Ahli went on to win the AFC Champions League and Saudi Super Cup.
🟢⚪️🏆 Magic moment for Al Ahli as after some challenging years, the club becomes champions of Asia.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 3, 2025
Special moment for Saudi side Al Ahli, PIF, Ghalib Kutbi with the strategic vision, coach Matthias Jaissle with massive impact and the top players who recently joined the club. pic.twitter.com/Sr90H6eapv
This year, he has already scored 11 goals, bringing his total up to 41 goals in 59 matches.
But despite his good form, Toney is clearly out of the limelight. In his last season at Brentford, Toney never played against a crowd of fewer than 11,000. In Saudi Arabia, 16 of his matches had a crowd of less than 10,000, with a match against Al-Fayha attracting just 999 people.
Striker Scarcity
One of the main reasons for Toney being in such high demand is due to the scarcity of strikers in the modern game and the fact that he is English.
As Toney was born in England and played for English clubs up to his move to Saudi Arabia, Toney would count as a homegrown player, which is vital for every Premier League side.
Each team must have a minimum of eight "homegrown" players in their 25-man squad, but there is no specific minimum requirement for English players.
But the more pressing factor is the lack of strikers on the market. With Viktor Gyokores, Benjamin Sesko, Hugo Ekitie, Liam Delap, and Alexander Isak all moving to new clubs this summer, whilst the likes of Victor Oshimen, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane not looking to change clubs anytime soon, Ivan Toney stands out as a [potentially] world-class striker.
And his Premier League record is not something to be sniffed at. He managed just 36 goals in 83 matches, but this was a player who was new to the Premier League and had spent eight months without playing professional football during his last season.
Whether Toney comes back to the Premier League is unknown. A team, such as Everton or Fulham, would have to take a gamble on him, and Toney would have to take a large pay cut.
But if Toney wants to be on the plane to America, then he will either have to have the season of his life in Saudi Arabia or come back to the Premier League.
Oliver Seymour 
Harry Pascoe 