Chelsea and England talent Levi Colwill admits that Arsenal transfer target Ivan Toney is the toughest striker he has faced in the Premier League after shining for Brentford.
Colwill is quick to concede that Toney gave him a real lesson when he faced the forward last season. The 20-year-old believes he is capable of creating problems like no other attacker in the Premier League. Toney’s terrorising performance really gave Colwill a lot to think about.
The centre-half met Toney for the first and only time in their respective professional careers in April. Colwill started for Brighton & Hove Albion whilst on loan from Chelsea as Brentford visited the Amex. The game ended as a 3-3 draw with Toney scoring the Bees’ second goal.
Why Pele Is Overrated.
Ivan Toney gave Levi Colwill a lesson in Brighton (3) vs (3) Brentford
Brighton fell behind three times to Toney’s Brentford but Colwill and co hung on to rescue a point. Alexis Mac Allister scored the Seagull’s final equaliser in the 90th minute after strikes from Kaoru Mitoma and Danny Welbeck. Pontus Jansson and Ethan Pinnock hit for the Bees.
Toney’s goal was one of 20 he struck in the Premier League last term. The 27-year-old also offered four assists over his 33 games to earn his England debut in March. But Brentford are without him until January after the FA suspended Toney for 262 breaches of its betting rules.
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Arsenal are interested in Ivan Toney’s £80m transfer from Brentford
The centre-forward cannot resume any football-related activities until January 16, 2024 due to his eight-month ban. But The Times reports that Arsenal have shown interest in securing Toney’s transfer from Brentford. Even if the Bees value the Northampton-born star at £80m.
Brentford have fixed their price tag as Gtech Community Stadium chiefs are braced for bids in the mid-season market. Toney is even set to switch agents to the Stellar group with many top Premier League clubs keen. He was likely to leave the Bees this summer before his ban.
Toney is likely to generate multiple bids for his transfer but Arsenal could have an edge over some rival suitors. The boyhood Liverpool fan recently admitted that he has ‘liked Arsenal’ from a young age. He particularly appreciates their playing style and their passionate fans.
What has Levi Colwill now said about playing against Ivan Toney?
Toney has faced Arsenal three times in the Premier League for Brentford and has scored one goal. But it only took one goal in a captivating performance for Toney to give Chelsea talent Colwill a lesson. The Blues gem firmly sees Toney to be the toughest Premier League striker.
“Yeah, I think Ivan Toney last season,” Colwill claimed, via the Express. “I was playing decent football last season and I came up against him. It was a lot different and I had to learn from it quickly. I had to give myself a little chat and say, ‘You’ve got something to prove now.’
“I can’t remember who the game was after that. But I had something to prove and towards the end of the season, it stayed in my mind that I had to do a bit better.”
Brighton faced AFC Bournemouth and won 2-0 on the back of their 3-3 draw with Brentford in April. Colwill did not feature against the Cherries after falling to Roberto De Zerbi’s bench at Dean Court. He returned to the side for 69 minutes in a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.