Ange Postecoglou makes stunning Tottenham striker admission after frustrating summer

Although he is up and running in the Saudi Pro League for Al-Ahli, this season could have looked very different for Ivan Toney as Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou considered signing him.

Toney, 28, left Brentford in the summer and was heavily linked with a number of Premier League clubs including Spurs, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.

It was surprising to see him move to Saudi, but no deal could be struck with any English side. Postecoglou, though, admitted he was considered, but they opted to sign Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth.

“We did look at him [Toney] but Dom was the one we wanted that fitted the profile we were looking for at the time,” said Postecoglou.

It has been a slow start for Solanke, who scored 19 Premier League goals last season and cost £65m, with injuries hampering his progress.

“We don’t have to rush to make a judgement all the time because the alternative is he may have got off to a great start, he is fit, scored in all four games, is flying and then he goes through a patch like all strikers where he doesn’t score.

“I just don’t look at those things. What I look at is he has come in, fitted really well and quite logically has picked up an injury that has disrupted the way he wanted to start his career, but he’s still got plenty of time for that.”

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Tottenham first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

Why didn’t a Premier League side go for Toney?

Toney had made it clear he wanted to leave Brentford this summer with his contract set to expire next year. An impressive Euro 2024 campaign wasn’t enough to generate enough interest in the player.

He has scored twice in the Pro League since joining his new club, where he plays alongside former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and ex-Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez.

Sky Sports looked into why Toney wasn’t high on Premier League teams’ lists this summer despite his obvious credentials and reputation, and his age, value and general slow pace of the transfer market were considered key factors.

Other clubs looked elsewhere, too, with Joshua Zirkzee joining Manchester United and Federico Chiesa signing for Liverpool, as well as Spurs opting for Solanke.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have been linked with moves for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres.

Romero a Real Madrid target?

Elsewhere, Real Madrid are plotting a move to sign Tottenham defender Cristian Romero, with the Spanish giants aiming to make a statement signing in defence. Arsenal defender William Saliba is also said to be a target.

Postecoglou is said to be under pressure to deliver trophies at Spurs in order to keep Romero, with Madrid having signed both Luka Modric and Gareth Bale from the North London club over the years,

Spurs are also said to be keen on a deal for Boca Juniors and Argentina winger Kevin Zenon, who is said to be available for £13m, the release clause in his contract.