Sutton warns 'peak' Toney against Saudi move

Brentford guardant Ivan Toney should not move to Saudi Arabia while he is astatine his "peak", says erstwhile Premier League striker Chris Sutton.

The Bees rejected a £35m bid for nan 28-year-old from Saudi Pro League broadside Al-Ahli past week.

Brentford left Toney retired of nan broadside which hit Crystal Palace 2-1 connected Sunday because of "transfer interest", but Sutton says nan England striker should take to enactment successful nan Premier League.

“At this shape of his career, I deliberation Saudi is simply a no-no," Sutton told nan BBC's Monday Night Club connected 5 Live.

"He has proven himself successful nan Premier League and he has each nan attributes. His nexus up, his physicality, set-piece [ability] and his all-round play person developed really well.

"You tin person each nan money successful nan world but this is Ivan Toney astatine his highest and I would for illustration to spot him enactment successful nan Premier League. I would spell to Saudi Arabia erstwhile I was 35 and past it."

Toney was portion of nan England squad which reached nan European Championship last successful nan summer, contempt missing nan bulk of nan play while he served an eight-month prohibition for breaking Football Association gambling rules.

"This is specified a discarded for Ivan Toney," Sutton added.

"That doesn’t mean he can’t spell to Saudi and past travel backmost to nan Premier League, but why doesn’t he conscionable hold different play and past get a move? He’s 28, his profession was flourishing past he had nan ban, but past he had nan precocious of nan Euros astatine nan summer.

"He is successful a really bully spot astatine nan moment. From Brentford’s constituent of view, astatine £50m, you tin understand why they would waste him for that magnitude pinch a twelvemonth near connected his contract. Purely from a footballing perspective, that would beryllium specified a discarded of him going to Saudi. Manchester United are striker-less astatine this infinitesimal successful time, he would beryllium a bully fresh there."

Fellow Monday Night Club pundit, erstwhile England and Manchester City midfielder Izzy Christiansen, added: "From a footballing constituent of view, why has no-one signed Toney? He is fresh, successful a bully spot and did good astatine nan Euros erstwhile asked, truthful his banal should beryllium rather high. Why are clubs successful nan Premier League not looking astatine Ivan Toney?"

Speaking connected Sunday, Brentford head Thomas Frank said it was "fair" to inquire if it was a matter of erstwhile Toney leaves and not if.

But he added nan striker's departure from Brentford was "not close".