Ivan Toney declared ‘Brentford legend’ as Al-Ahli announce striker signing after Osimhen miss

Brentford have officially bid farewell to Ivan Toney after he completed his move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, who ended up signing the England international instead of Victor Osimhen.

Toney was into the final year of his contract with Brentford and was eager for a new challenge, although rather than getting an offer from a bigger Premier League club, he became the subject of a lucrative bid from Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ahli.

Brentford have cashed in on Toney for a fee in the region of £40m, surpassing their previous club-record sale which was Ollie Watkins for up to £33m.

Toney scored 72 goals in 141 games for Brentford, who he joined from Peterborough United in 2020 and went on to help the Bees win promotion to the Premier League, where they remain established to this day.

Despite his departure, Brentford head coach Thomas Frank has spoken glowingly of Toney’s time in west London and wished him the best of luck for his new adventure in the Middle East.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with Ivan over the last four years,” Frank said via Brentford’s official website.

“He has averaged more than one goal every two games, which is an unbelievable number.

“On the pitch, he has been a fantastic goalscorer, link-up player and leader. He has pushed the team, the squad and himself.

“It’s a wonderful journey that we have been on together. Ivan helped the club and the team, and the club and the team have helped Ivan.

“I’m happy he has an opportunity to try something new in his life and career. We thank him for so many magic moments and wish him all the best for his next chapter. Ivan leaves as a Brentford legend.”

Osimhen stays put after Toney transfer

Al-Ahli made bids for Toney and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen on deadline day, but knew they only had one international spot left in their squad, so could only choose one.

Osimhen was also the subject of a late attempt by Chelsea, but their move failed to generate a response and he has instead remained with Napoli.

The Al-Ahli squad that Toney has joined also contains former Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez, ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino.

Toney has chosen the number 71 shirt at his new club, whose ranks also include Franck Kessie, Gabri Veiga, Merih Demiral and Roger Ibanez. Al-Ahli are managed by Matthias Jaissle.

This will be Toney’s first time playing outside England.