Before the big announcement, supporters of Bren

With a handful of Premier League clubs in need of a striker in the summer of 2024, Brentford’s Ivan Toney was a wanted man – but the opportunity to play alongside Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino at Al-Ahli was too enticing for the 28-year-old.

Snubbing potential moves to Arsenal and Manchester United in the process, the allure of the Saudi Pro League’s riches convinced the Northampton Town academy graduate to leave his native England and, in turn, his then-employers Brentford.

Toney’s switch, from England to Saudi Arabia, felt anticlimactic given that, just a year earlier, he was being touted as a £100 million-worth line-leader. Instead, he moved for just £33.6 million and became one of the highest-paid English footballers.

Making his debut against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in mid-September 2024, the marksman has now spent six months at his Saudi Pro League employers, but how’s he faring half-a-year into his stay? Let’s take a closer look at his short spell thus far.