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AL-AHLI SAYS NO: IVAN TONEY'S £40M SAUDI MOVE BLOCKS JANUARY EXIT FOR TOTTENHAM
Ivan Toney's Premier League return is off. talkSPORT reveals the striker is settled at Al-Ahli, with the Saudi club refusing to sell in January despite interest from Spurs and others.
It sounds like Ivan Toney's potential reunion with his old Brentford manager, Thomas Frank, is looking less and less likely. Word is, he's expected to stay with Al-Ahli not just through January but possibly beyond next summer as well.
Since joining the Saudi Pro League's Al-Ahli in 2024 for around £40 million ($53m), the 29-year-old has fit right in. Right now, it doesn't seem like he'll be returning to play in England anytime soon.
Toney is likely to stay in Saudi Arabia
Toney has been a scoring machine, with 42 goals in 62 games, including 12 this season. This output has made him one of the league's top foreign players. He also helped Al-Ahli win the Asian Champions League and scored 30 goals in all competitions last season. But, with the 2026 World Cup approaching and England manager Thomas Tuchel not making any promises about who will be selected, people have been wondering if Toney might want to come back to the Premier League. Spurs, West Ham, and Manchester United have all talked about the possibility of bringing him back. Still, everything coming out of Saudi Arabia suggests he's staying put, as talkSPORT reported.
Al-Ahli firm: No sale in January
Al-Ahli's new sporting director, Rui Pedro Braz, is not planning to approve any sale or loan in January. The club, which has a lot of state funding, would only consider letting Toney go if they could find a really good replacement, which they think is very unlikely in the middle of the season. The Saudi team is also happy that Toney is content where he is. talkSPORT says that his representatives have told interested Premier League clubs that he is settled, gets paid well, and isn't currently pushing for a move. His contract lasts until 2028, and he makes over £400,000 per week tax-free, which makes any potential return difficult. On top of that, Toney needs to stay outside the UK until at least April 2026 to keep his non-UK tax residency. If he comes back too soon, he would have to pay a lot in taxes, which makes it even harder for English clubs to make an offer.
Braz mentioned: Ivan Toney is a great player, a top striker. The rumours about him possibly leaving in January aren't true. They're just not true. We're counting on him, so it doesn't make any sense to talk about this in November.
Toney is still hoping for an England recall
Even though he hasn't been playing much internationally, Toney is still hoping that doing well in Saudi Arabia will help him get back into the England squad before the World Cup. Between March and July 2024, he played five times and even made a difference at Euro 2024, assisting Harry Kane's winning goal against Slovakia and scoring in the shootout win over Switzerland. But since moving to the Middle East, he has only been called up once and has only played in England's 3-1 loss to Senegal. Still, Toney insists he hasn't asked Thomas Tuchel for clarification on where he stands in the squad.
He says: I need to focus on myself and give myself the best chance possible. Who knows? If I get selected, I'll do my best for my country, but if not, I'll be cheering the boys on. I don't expect to talk to him. I'm sure he has other things to worry about. My job is to do well. It is what it is. If you're good enough, you're good enough; it doesn't matter where you're playing. As long as you're doing the right things and scoring goals, you give yourself a chance.
Saudi League criticism dismissed
Toney has strongly defended the quality of the Saudi Pro League, despite some criticism from people in the European football community.
The level in Saudi Arabia is high. They know how to play football here. The players aren't as well-known as in the Premier League, but many could play there, Toney told The Guardian in September.
After a short break, Toney will be back playing against Damac in the Saudi League on December 19. At the same time, Tottenham will be trying to get back to winning after losing badly to Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in their game against Fulham on Sunday.
VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.
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