Ivan Toney defends the Saudi Pro League’s quality, stating Al-Ahli could challenge the Premier League’s top four. He highlights his success, adaptation to Saudi football, and Al-Hilal’s win against Man City as proof of the league’s rising standards, despite his stalled England career.
Ivan Toney, the former Premier League striker, is making headlines with his assertive defense of the Saudi Pro League's quality. Toney, who traded the English top flight for Al-Ahli over a year ago, believes his team could be competitive against the Premier League's elite. Despite missing out on recent England qualifiers, Toney remains confident in his decision and the standard of football in Saudi Arabia.
"Those that know me, know that I do what I want to do," Toney stated, dismissing external criticism. "If there is something that I want to go for, to try, then I will do it. If people want to talk, they can talk. It doesn’t hurt me, doesn’t bother me, I just concentrate on myself. I do what makes me happy."
Based in Jeddah, where temperatures often soar above 40C, Toney has adapted to a different style of play. He appreciates the city's relaxed atmosphere compared to Riyadh, although settling in took time. "The weather played a massive part," he explained. "Somebody should go and try to play in a sauna and see if they can cope. You have to play a different game with different tactics and it is something you adapt to. There are different blocks of 20 minutes where it is intense and then naturally it has to slow down and pick up again."
Joining Al-Ahli alongside notable players like Roberto Firmino and Riyad Mahrez, Toney quickly found his rhythm, scoring 23 league goals in his first season. This achievement placed him second in the league's scoring charts, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo and surpassing Karim Benzema and Abderrazak Hamdallah. "Once I got going, the goals came," Toney said. "I felt like I could have scored a lot more, but even so I finished as the second-top scorer in the league in my first season somewhere that is completely new to me. I feel like it is an achievement. This season, I am hoping to take first spot and hopefully that will help the team and win games and get where we need to be."
Al-Ahli aims to reclaim the league title they last won in 2016. After finishing fifth last season, they began their current campaign with a 1-0 victory against Neom. Toney scored the decisive goal after receiving a through-ball from Enzo Millot. A hat-trick followed in the King’s Cup against Al-Arabi. "We have more than enough quality to be winning games and if we continue to play well then we have a good chance. We showed that in the [Asian] Champions League."
Winning the Asian Champions League in May was a significant achievement for Al-Ahli, compensating for their fifth-place league finish. They defeated Kawasaki Frontale in the final before a crowd of over 60,000 in Jeddah. "In the semi-finals, especially, the atmosphere against Al-Hilal was top," Toney recalled. "It shows how passionate the fans are here.” While acknowledging that crowds outside Jeddah and Riyadh can be smaller, Toney insists this doesn't diminish the league's quality. "It’s different, but you are there for one thing: to get three points and take them home," Toney says. "The fire is within yourself and the changing room. It doesn’t matter if there are 10 people watching, 10,000 or 20,000. It’s on the players to go and win."
Echoing Cristiano Ronaldo's sentiments, Toney argues that the Saudi Pro League rivals the best in the world. "Ronaldo has been around the world and probably knows a lot more than me as I have only played in the Premier League, the Championship and Leagues One and Two. For me, [the Pro League] is on a par with the Premier League. If [Al-Ahli] were in the Premier League, we’d give it a good go and we’d be close to the top four. It is a quality league and people should not turn their noses up. We saw Al-Hilal play against Man City and beat them.”
Toney highlighted Al-Hilal's 4-3 victory over Manchester City in the Club World Cup as evidence of the league's growing strength. "I was going to tweet but I would have got killed back home, so I kept my mouth shut," Toney says. "But people saw the quality of Hilal. The standard in Saudi Arabia is high. They can play football here. The players here are not as known as in the Premier League but there are many who can play there.” Despite his success in Saudi Arabia, Toney's international career with England appears to have stalled, as he was not selected for the recent World Cup qualifiers. He remains focused on his performance and hopeful for future opportunities. "I have to concentrate on myself and give myself the best chance possible, and who knows? If I am selected, I will do my best for my country but if not, I’ll be cheering the boys on.”
Dismissing any rumors of discussions with Thomas Tuchel, Toney remains focused on his own game. "I don’t expect to have a conversation with him. I am sure he has other things to be concentrating on. My job is to do well. It is what it is. If you are good enough, you are good enough; it doesn’t matter where you are playing in the world. As long as you are doing the right things and scoring goals, then you give yourself a chance.” While keeping an eye on his former club, Brentford, Toney believes they will continue to thrive despite the departure of Thomas Frank. "They’ve always had that hard-work mentality," he says. "They have never had big names and every player who comes in works hard for each other. I believe they’ll be good this season.”
Encouraging other players to consider the Saudi Pro League, Toney concludes, "People are intrigued," Toney says. "Some players have been offered a chance to play over here and want to know what it is about. I would recommend it, if they feel it is right for them.”