West Ham Toney interest but not at any cost

Brentford’s attempts to sell star striker Ivan Toney have the feel of a market stall food van at the end of a day’s trading… stick around long enough and you might grab a bargain.

Not only is Toney’s price decreasing weekly, but the list of possible buyers has also diminished. In the last two days, the grapevine around both Arsenal and Manchester United suggests that neither is interested in the England striker.

I have a level of sympathy for Brentford, who have stood by their captain throughout his betting ban but have seen his value decrease rapidly. For reasons unknown to me, Toney’s relationship with the club, which has served and supported him so well, appears to have deteriorated.

Unfortunately for the West Londoners, their ridiculous initial valuation of £100m was dropped to £70m and it’s reducing steadily. However, at the £40m quoted, I still believe it’s a bit too pricey for West Ham. Whilst Toney is an adept striker, he is 28 years of age with little to no resale value. Factor in that any club who buys him will be taking a major risk that his gambling days are behind him, and £40m becomes a lot of money for a transfer laced with jeopardy.

Good luck to Brentford if they can extract that kind of money for the player. But in the days of stringently enforced FFP and PSR, it’s a price many clubs can’t afford to pay.