Peterborough’s Director of Football Barry Fry says Celtic will be regretting missing out on striker Ivan Toney.
The Hoops made an approach for the 25-year-old last summer but the offer was rejected by the Posh, with the forward moving to Championship side Brentford for an initial £5m instead.
Toney has since gone on to score 28 goals in the second tier of English football but Fry believes he would have bagged even more if he had joined Celtic:
“Toney would have got 40/50 goals playing in Scotland, no disrespect to Scottish football. He would have been a sensation because Toney doesn’t only score goals, he makes goals. He doesn’t only score goals and make goals, he’s also the best defender we’ve had. He goes back for corners and free-kicks and nine out of 10 times, he’s the one that clears it out the box.”
“And he’s hungry. He wants to listen he wants to learn, he wants to improve. He’ll go to the very top, Ivan Toney, that’s for sure. I’m sure they do (regret not signing Toney) already. I’m sure they regret it, not breaking the bank for him.”
It is one of those ‘What If?’ moments. Celtic paid £5m for an alternative target in West Ham striker Albian Ajeti, but the Swiss international failed to make the required impact, despite a bright start to life at Parkhead.
Toney, meanwhile, is expected to make the switch to the Premier League at the end of the season, with the likes of West Ham, Leeds United and Arsenal all said to be pursuing his signature.
