According to The Sun, Burnley are among the clubs interested in the services of Ivan Toney. The Peterborough striker has impressed the onlookers with his performances in the League One this term, with Bournemouth also keen on signing him. However, Peterborough have already slapped a £13 million price-tag on Toney, hoping it would be enough to fend off interest from the Premier League outfits.
Toney’s success at Peterborough
Toney was a product of the Northampton youth academy before moving to Newcastle United in 2015. However, he never really managed to make an impact at Tyneside and spent several different loan spells at clubs like Scunthorpe, Shrewsbury and Wigan Athletic.
The youngster eventually left Newcastle and joined Petersborough last summer, for a fee of £648k. And he hasn’t had to look back since, notably netting 16 goals in 44 league matches in his debut season at Weston Homes Stadium. He also registered seven assists, helping his club finish seventh in the league table.
This season, however, Toney has performed at a whole new level, scoring 12 goals in 17 matches. His performances in front of goal have boosted the overall attacking potency of Petersborough, who are currently third and have an excellent chance of being promoted to the second division by the end of the season.
Do Burnley really need Toney?
Burnley have enjoyed a decent start to the 2019/20 Premier League campaign so far, mustering 15 points from 12 games. They also have an above-average attack, having netted 17 goals already. However, they have over-relied on the services of Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood as far as goalscoring is concerned.
The duo has scored more than half of Burnley’s goals this term. And while that’s a pretty good record, it’s fair to point out that they don’t have a reliable alternative for either of those stars.
Jay Rodriguez was brought in from West Bromwich Albion in the summer. But, the ex-Southampton star hasn’t quite been able to crack the first-team. As for Matej Vydra, he has been on a steady decline since joining from Derby County last summer. The Czech international has featured in only 58 minutes of league football so far.
Toney, in that regard, should be an excellent signing for Burnley. The 23-year-old can provide competition for Barnes and Wood in the number ten slot and can also be considered as a long-term solution for the club’s offensive department. The young attacker is already starting to live up to his potential, and a move to Turf Moor should present him with the ideal opportunity to showcase his talents in one of the biggest leagues in the world.
