Ivan Toney opens up about failed Celtic transfer saga

It is safe to say that Ivan Toney has emerged as an absolute superstar this season after joining Brentford from Peterborough United last summer. And he will surely be one of the failed transfer attempts that Celtic have regretted throughout the campaign.

The Hoops had been heavily linked with the striker throughout the course of the summer but ultimately a move did not materialise. Instead, they ended up signing Albian Ajeti from West Ham United.

Their seasons could not have gone any more different. After a bright start to life at Parkhead, Ajeti’s form has faded away badly and he is struggling to get into the first-team at this point of time. On the other hand, Toney has been incredible in the Championship. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he has scored 28 goals and provided 9 assists in 38 appearances in the Championship this season.

While speaking with Four Four Two and as reported by The Scottish Sun, he has revealed that a move to Celtic was close but the deal just didn’t get over the line:

"“Yeah, that was close.“I spoke to a few people there and I spoke to the manager, but just couldn’t get a deal over the line.”"

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Failing to sign Toney should be a massive regret for Celtic

Sensational would be an understatement when it comes to describing the season that Toney has had with Brentford. As a result, he is already being linked with multiple clubs in the Premier League.

On the other hand, the Hoops have struggled to find the back of the net on a consistent basis this season and it is very possible that things could have been very different if they had managed to get the deal for Toney over the line.

Not only would he have been a very good striker for the club, at 25 years of age, he would have had a lot of transfer value as well.

What is done is done though and the focus must now be on rebuilding the squad and returning to challenging for titles on a consistent basis next season.