Celtic have made quite a few mistakes in the transfer market over the past few years. Who can forget them missing out on John McGinn, who has gone on to be a star in the Premier League? And unfortunately, it looks like they have managed to repeat it once again.
One player who was constantly linked with the club in the past summer was Ivan Toney, who was playing for League One side Peterborough United back then.
The Hoops were interested in the striker and it looked like the player wanted the move to Parkhead as well. But it appears they were not ready to meet Peterborough United’s demands, which allowed Brentford to swoop in.
Now, it looks like Toney was even in Glasgow and at Celtic Park, but ultimately the club decided not to commit and go after Albian Ajeti instead, who was signed for £5 million. Stephen McGowan shed light on the situation while speaking on Graham Spiers’ Press Box Podcast, as reported by The Celtic Star:
"“The one that sums it up best is Ivan Toney, who they had in Glasgow, actually in the building – who wanted to sign for Celtic and they could have got for £6 million. For whatever reason, probably financial, they decided not to commit and signed Ajeti.”"
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Celtic made a mistake by not signing Ivan Toney
In hindsight, it was a huge mistake on the part of the Hoops to not complete a deal for Toney when they had the chance and were probably his preferred destination.
The Englishman has been absolutely sensational since moving to Championship side Brentford. In 31 league appearances, he has scored 24 goals and 9 assists, and could send some records tumbling by the end of the season if he can keep up his form as his side aim to get promoted to the Premier League.
Clearly, he could have been the long-term replacement for Odsonne Edouard, who looks set to leave in the upcoming summer transfer window. Instead, he is now playing in the Championship and will probably sign for a Premier League club in the future for a fee around or over £30 million, if his side don’t get promoted.