Ivan Toney has been banned for eight months from football related activities for breaching betting rules. Toney will start serving his ban immediately and is set to return January 17th 2024. Brentford’s top scorer, with 20 Premier League goals this season, has provided output that will be extremely difficult to replace, but it’s not only his goal scoring that will be missed.
Toney is obviously a huge threat in front of goal but his versatile skillset provides much more. One of Toney’s most underrated attributes is his passing ability. Toney is able to drop into the midfield, drag centre-backs out of position, and create space for wingers in behind. Once Toney receives the ball he can easily turn and hit a long pass that finds a winger in stride.
Brentford’s tactics also cater to a striker that is able to win aerial duels. In a match against Arsenal earlier this season, Toney won 12 out of 14 aerial duels, outrageous numbers for a striker. Brentford’s direct tactics are complimented by Toney’s ability to win aerial duels and long passes from David Raya, Ben Mee, or Mathias Jensen are successful because of Toney’s flick ons to a winger running in behind. This has resulted in multiple goals this season alone – a great example of this is Yoane Wissa’s goal against Southampton back in March.
Another significant attribute that is commonly overlooked is Toney’s defensive ability. His work rate and pressing in Thomas Frank’s system has caused loads of trouble this season for opponents. Any striker in Thomas Frank’s side will need to be able to initiate and coordinate a high press, but also drop into a low block if needed.
When scouting players for potential Toney replacements one should look at goal scoring, passing, aerial ability, and defensive skillset. Brentford have already been linked with two strikers, Habib Diallo and Viktor Gyökeres, so let’s break those down.
Habib Diallo (27) – Strasbourg
Habib Diallo has been the focal point of this year’s Strasbourg team, leading the team with 20 goals from 16.3 xG. Diallo is fourth for goals scored in Ligue 1 while overperforming his xG. Brentford scout players based on efficiency and players that can fit into their style and Diallo’s average shot distance of 12.9 yards is something Brentford will take note of. Diallo is also seventh for goals per shot which indicates he is scoring efficiently this season.
Diallo has the second most xAG at Strasbourg this season with 3.1 and has played the third most key passes for his team. Diallo’s passing statistics are better than Toney’s but with a smaller sample size and against weaker opposition. Notably, Habib Diallo has won the second most aerial duels in Ligue 1. At 185cm, he is a bit taller than Toney, and he has a better aerial duel win percentage to match.
Another statistic of note is Diallo’s interceptions and tackles won. He is in the 92nd percentile for interceptions among forwards in Ligue 1. This is another crucial element that Brentford will surely take note of, especially with how Thomas Frank utilises his strikers defensively. Toney’s role in a mid and low block is vital especially when facing “Big Six” sides.
Viktor Gyökeres (24) – Coventry City
Viktor Gyökeres has been tearing up the Championship this year with Coventry. The Swedish international has scored 21 goals and has 10 assists this season carrying Coventry to the Championship Play-Off Final.
Gyökeres is second in the Championship for goals scored and while his 133 shots give him a disappointing goals per shot percentage, he still has a good shot on target percentage at 39.1%. Gyökeres demonstrates superb hold up play, which is a skillset Brentford would value immensely. His physicality creates space and allows him to manoeuvre out of tight areas. He can find the back of the net with either foot, but what is most impressive is his ability to turn and shoot. The Swede’s aerial duel percentage is not as high as Brentford would want, but some of this comes down to playing style as he has all of the physical attributes necessary.
Gyökeres elite goal scoring ability certainly gets all of the attention, similar to Toney, but his passing complements his elite goal scoring ability. Gyökeres leads the Championship for shot creating actions (4.27) and is second for goal creating actions (0.47). He’s created the most shots in the Championship from take-ons and fouls drawn. He is also fifth for key passes while being tied for the second most assists in the Championship with a higher pass completion percentage than Toney.
A small sample size and differing tactics makes it challenging to compare Gyökeres’ defensive statistics to Toney or Diallo’s. He has not recorded as many interceptions, but has a similar amount of tackles. His high work rate may not end in interceptions, but his blocked passes and blocked shots statistics illustrate his defensive capabilities. If given a full pre-season under Thomas Frank one would expect Gyökeres to fit right into Brentford’s system.
By Jacob Gowler
