In the summer of 2020, amid Covid lockdown and fat shutouts, Celtic were linked with a wealth of players. Ivan Toney was one of the most notable names to be tipped for a move to Glasgow, but nothing ever materialised.
Despite reportedly being welcomed to Lennoxtown, the Englishman opted to join Brentford. On The Diary Of A CEO Podcast, Toney has recently revealed why he made such a decision. He said: “We went to Celtic and I think it was the same there, I’m one of three strikers or something like this. At the time, when it was I was moving, I wanted to be the main guy, I think the crucial thing for me is playing games.”
Neil Lennon was Hoops’ gaffer at the time and, clearly, couldn’t guarantee Toney a start every week when the free-scoring (at least at the time) Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths were at the club. The pair were on fire back then, but the latter faded, and if Toney had taken the gamble and joined the Hoops, things could’ve been extremely different.
The now 27-year-old would have surely nailed down a place in the starting eleven over the course of the campaign and had he kept up the form he displayed at Brentofrd at Parkhead, there may well have been a different outcome to the Covid campaign for the Bhoys.
Despite this, the striker has been caught up in a betting scandal recently. He was eventually banned from football by the FA for eight months. His proposed move to Glasgow never worked out, and everything happens for a reason in life.
