Glasgow Rangers have endured a poor start to the season, already exiting the Champions League at the final qualifying stage following a 7-3 aggregate defeat to PSV Eindhoven.
Michael Beale made nine signings during the summer transfer window but it's fair to say that not many of them have clicked yet, and the international break comes at precisely the right time.
Out of those nine fresh faces, four of them are forwards, but they haven’t enjoyed the most productive of starts, as Cyriel Dessers, Danilo, Abdallah Sima and Sam Lammers have netted just seven goals between them across nine matches in all competitions.
With the Light Blues losing cult figure Alfredo Morelos during the summer upon the expiration of his contract, Beale knew he was going to have to replace his goals – 124 across 269 games – and the jury is still out on a few of the summer arrivals.
The Ibrox side could have avoided this had they swooped for a player over three years ago who has gone on to shine in the Premier League in the subsequent years – Ivan Toney.
Were Rangers close to signing Ivan Toney?
Under Steven Gerrard, the Gers had endured two trophy-less seasons but during the summer of 2020, things began to change.
They were even linked with Toney, who was playing for Peterborough United at the time, before the record-breaking 2020/21 season which saw the club claim their first league title in a decade.
Speaking on the Diary of a CEO Podcast (via The Daily Record), Toney discussed his potential missed opportunity at joining the Light Blues, saying: "I did speak to other clubs. I actually went up to Rangers and spoke with the manager there, which was Steven Gerrard at the time.
"We spoke a bit, but there were two strikers at the time and they were looking to bring another one in, so there would've been four strikers. I think the formation that they played, the majority of the time was one striker up top. So I would have been third choice, something like this.
"We went to Celtic, we spoke to Celtic and I think it was the same there. I'm one of three strikers or something like this. I think at the time when I was moving, I wanted to be the main guy. The crucial thing for me is playing games.
"Even though I back myself when I’m competing with other strikers, I want to know when I go in, bursting through the door I’m the main man up front. It’s up to me and when I spoke to the manager at Brentford he pretty much said ‘you’re the main guy and I don’t see anyone taking your spot so make sure you produce the goods and it’s yours really’.”
If things had been different, Toney’s career trajectory may have gone in another direction, and he could have been lining up for either of the Glasgow sides, competing for trophies and playing in the Champions League.
He joined Brentford for a fee of just £5m and that now looks like a wonderful bargain.
How much is Ivan Toney worth now?
The striker is currently banned by the FA until January having been found guilty of numerous gambling breaches, yet this hasn’t stopped other teams showing interest in the player.
The Bees currently value their prized asset at £80m following two excellent seasons in the Premier League, and he has attracted interest from clubs such as free-spending Chelsea of late.
The ship has certainly sailed when it comes to Rangers' interest in Toney, clearly missing a major opportunity three years ago when he was available for as little as £5m.
How many goals has Ivan Toney scored?
The 27-year-old sealed his move to Brentford having netted 49 goals in just 94 appearances for the Posh in two seasons, and he showed no signs of slowing down upon arriving at the Bees.
In three full seasons for the Premier League outfit, Toney has scored 68 goals and grabbed 21 assists in just 124 games, and he enjoyed his best top-flight season yet during the 2022/23 campaign.
68
49
13
15
6
7
2
Stats via Transfermarkt
Not only did the forward finish the season third in the list of top scorers with 20 goals, behind only Harry Kane (30) and Erling Haaland (36), but he also ranked highly for numerous performance metrics in the Brentford squad.
Not only did he rank first for overall Sofascore rating (7.25), but the striker also topped the pile for goals and assists (24), shots on target per game (1.3) and penalties won (three), while finishing in the top three for big chances created (12) and key passes per game (0.8), clearly demonstrating that he has turned into one of the finest forwards in the top flight.
How many times has Ivan Toney played for England?
The 5 foot 10 machine has been heavily praised recently for his goal-scoring antics, with Jamie Carragher claiming he was “one of the best attacking players in the league” upon receiving his first ever call up to the England squad back in March.
The “special footballer” – as lauded by Thomas Frank – went on to make his England debut against Ukraine in the qualifiers for the 2024 European Championship, and it looked as though he could play a key part in their future matches.
Unfortunately, his ban has come at the wrong time for the striker, and he will be missing for both club and country until January as he currently sits on just one cap for England so far.
Gerrard certainly missed a trick in not splashing out on Toney in 2020. Although they went on the win the league that very season, his goals would certainly have aided the likes of Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Beale in subsequent seasons to win more trophies than they currently have.
With the current frontline seemingly struggling during the opening matches of the 2023/24 season, it’s evident that having a player such as Toney may have added something extra to the Gers' attack and fired them to glory.
The failed move will definitely go down as one of the club's biggest transfer blunders in recent times, there’s no doubt about it.
