Celtic were on the lookout for a new top striker in the summer of 2020 as they headed towards a critical season, with 10IAR up for grabs. While many players were linked with a move to Parkhead that time around, Ivan Toney is often seen and referred to as the one who got away as he moved instead to English Championship side Brentford. The rest is history.
Toney was believed to be very close to a move to Celtic and was rumoured to have even visited the Lennoxtown complex in that summer, as a move from Peterborough United seemed a real possibility. Ultimately, a move did not end up happening though and the English striker ended up at Brentford instead.
Brentford were hopeful at the time of gaining promotion to the Premier League. And with the help of Toney, they were able to do that.
As reported by the Daily Record, Peterborough United chief, Barry Fry, said to Ally McCoist while talking on talkSPORT about the proposed Toney to Celtic move:
"“I only pulled out of that deal because of you Ally.”"
Toney to Celtic claim made about failed transfer
That pretty much sounds like a humorous tongue-in-cheek comment from the Peterborough United chief, and one should not read too much into it. It does make one wonder how different things could have turned out if Toney had ended up at Celtic that summer.
Looking back, the deal for Toney may have looked a risk. He was scoring for Peterborough United freely but in League One, and there’s always a doubt as to whether forwards can keep scoring at a higher level.
Toney to be fair has been very successful at Brentford. He was a major success for them in the Championship and has continued to find the back of the net in the Premier League as well. So much so that he even got an England call up recently.
The Hoops opted for Albian Ajeti instead of Toney to spearhead their frontline that summer. And we all know how that turned out.