Leeds warned against beating Arsenal and West Ham to £35m EFL deal | OneFootball

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Football League World

·19 April 2021

Leeds warned against beating Arsenal and West Ham to £35m EFL deal

Article image:Leeds warned against beating Arsenal and West Ham to £35m EFL deal

Ex-Leeds United striker Jon Newsome has warned his former club against splashing out on Brentford forward Ivan Toney in the upcoming window.

Toney has been superb in his debut season in west London – scoring 29 goals and adding 10 assists for the Bees.


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The 25-year-old’s exploits have turned heads in the Premier League with the likes of Arsenal and West Ham United linked.

Leeds are also reportedly interested in Toney, who it is understood will cost more than £35 million to sign in the upcoming window.

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Speaking to Football Fan Cast, Newsome suggested that spending that sort of money to sign the Championship marksman is not a move that the Whites should make.

He said: “In a word, no. No, I don’t think I would (spend £35 million to sign Toney in the summer).

“I mean, if you’re looking at the players that they brought into the football club in the summer, all four of them are international football players, and not one of them has got anywhere near the 35 million pound price tag.

“So I’m not diminishing Toney’s ability and the impact that he’s had at Brentford this season, because I think he’s doing incredibly well, he’s doing really well.”

Toney dropped a hint about his future over the weekend, suggesting he felt he was ready to move to the top flight.

He may not be able to do that with Brentford as they’re on course to reach the play-offs as things stand.

Should he join, Toney would face some serious competition at Elland Road.

Patrick Bamford has been hugely impressive in his Leeds’ first season in the Premier League, scoring 14 times this term, while the Yorkshire club spent a club-record record £26 million to sign Rodrigo last summer.

Marcelo Bielsa’s other forward options include Tyler Roberts and young players such as Ryan Edmondson, Joe Gelhardt, and Sam Greenwood.

Article image:Leeds warned against beating Arsenal and West Ham to £35m EFL deal

The Verdict

You can certainly see where Newsome is coming from here, with the options already in Bielsa’s squad and the money spent on Rodrigo last summer, perhaps now isn’t the time to spend big on Toney.

There’s no doubt the 25-year-old has proven himself a fantastic goalscorer in the Championship but the Premier League is another step up.

The Whites have been fantastic in their return to the top flight and Bielsa will want to keep adding quality to his squad to ensure that progress continues but you feel they may not be part of a competitive race for Toney.

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