How good is Ivan Toney? I’ve not seen enough to make a proper judgement, love his penalties though! How does he compare to Watkins and could he be one worth taking a punt on, without his mid-table stepping stone club, which obviously drives his price up massively?
I think given his ease of transition into the Championship that he probably costs the same as what Villa got paid Watkins (£32m), if not more because he's broken the Championship goal scoring record and also got 10 assists on top of that. It would not surprise me, if they get promoted, if Brentford say £40m is the going rate. For which you could sign a player of much more pedigree really.
It's worth noting Toney is a bit older than Watkins, and now in his 'peak' years for a striker (he's 25), and Watkins whilst climbing a similar path was a repurposed winger until Villa have played him upfront all season - he had the one season as the central striker prior. It's so hard to gauge just how good he is - he's scored bags in an attacking Peterborough side then absolutely pissed the step up in quality to the Championship and scored even more, again in an attacking side but not a settled one - they obviously lost Watkins and crucially Benrahma (who has disappointed against his fee - decent enough assist rate but zero goals and fairly average progressives seeing as he looked as though he could dribble through an entire team and back again in the division below).
Toney certainly doesn't lack confidence - he recently said 'I'm the best player in the football league' and to be honest, it's hard to argue with that. He's quick, good in the air, instinctive around goal, takes up good positions, is physical and a set piece threat. He is also very good with his decision making around the box and his hold up play, which is why he's got double digit assists. He's a more traditional centre forward than Ollie Watkins, who's a versatile wide forward really. Arsenal and Leeds the two most linked to him - I think he's definitely good enough for the Premier League, but if you were to push me, he's going to be a bracket below the top forwards. He definitely gets you 15 a season in the league and links up well with your wide players, but I don't think he's taking apart Real Madrid at the Bernabeu any time soon.