Soccer

Ivan Toney escalates war of words with Arsenal players

Brentford striker hopes to make his England debut in Nations League game against Italy on Friday

Brentford's Ivan Toney during an England training session at St George's Park in Burton upon Trent, before the team travels to play Italy in Milan on Friday. Photograph: Naomi Baker/Getty Images
Brentford's Ivan Toney during an England training session at St George's Park in Burton upon Trent, before the team travels to play Italy in Milan on Friday. Photograph: Naomi Baker/Getty Images
Jacob Steinberg
Tue Sept 20 2022 - 23:08

Ivan Toney has escalated his war of words with Arsenal’s players by calling their mockery of him on social media cringeworthy.

Toney became an unpopular figure at Arsenal after tweeting “Nice kick about with the boys” following Brentford’s 2-0 win against Mikel Arteta’s side at the start of last season. The tweet was used as motivation by a fuming Arteta when Brentford visited the Emirates Stadium last February, and it came up again when the sides met again at the Brentford Community Stadium last Sunday.

Arsenal’s fans celebrated their team’s dominant 3-0 win over Brentford by aiming derisive chants at Toney, who has been called up by England for the first time, and the mockery continued after the game. Gabriel Magalhães, the Arsenal centre back, took aim at the striker by tweeting: “Nice kick about with the boys”.

However Toney suggested that it could be time for the north Londoners to come up with some new material, with the 26-year-old pointing out that the former Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette, who has since left for Lyon, tweeted the same joke as Gabriel after Arteta’s side beat Brentford in February.

READ MORE

“I think once was funny, second time a bit cringey but I bit my tongue,” he said. “I wanted to reply, I wanted to nibble but fair play to them, they played very well. They are a different Arsenal side to what we played before ,and they played very well. Fair play to them, they are doing well.”

Toney will hope to make his England debut in the Nations League game against Italy in Milan on Friday, when Gareth Southgate’s side travel to Italy. The 26-year-old forward has had an impressive rise since failing to make the grade at Newcastle and moving to Peterborough United in 2018.

“That was an eye-opener,” Toney said. “That was: ‘right, I have to turn my game around to get back up – I might see myself as a Premier League player but I am a League One player now. I have got to keep fighting and working hard.’ And I certainly did that.”

Toney’s goalscoring exploits for Peterborough earned him a move to Brentford in 2020, and he has continued to develop since, helping Thomas Frank’s side win promotion to the Premier League. He has not looked out of place in the top flight and, although he does not bear a grudge towards Newcastle, he admits that being rejected by them has spurred him on.

“That was a factor that did come into play,” Toney said. “I felt like: ‘you got rid of me – I am going to show you what I am capable of when I get the chance, whether it is a Premier League side or a League One side.’

“When I left Newcastle and went to Peterborough I wasn’t straight in the team so I had to work much harder. Other strikers were in front of me who were scoring goals. It was about being patient and when your chance comes you have to take it with both hands.”

With World Cup places in England’s World Cup squad up for grabs, Toney has a chance to establish himself as one of Harry Kane’s deputies. Part of the former Peterborough striker’s appeal is his nerveless penalty technique, though he made sure not to trip himself up after being asked whether he was better at spot-kicks than England’s captain. “He’s done it on a bigger stage,” Toney said. “So I’ll say Harry Kane.”

Toney, who spoke about the support he has received from his parents, talked about finding out about his England call-up from Frank. “I was driving to training and the Brentford gaffer called me,” he said. “I was running a bit late so thought he was calling about my timekeeping. Then he said: ‘I have the privilege to say you have been called up to the England senior squad.’ For once in my life I had nothing to say. I was driving and wasn’t quite zoned out as that wouldn’t have been the best thing to do but . . . I was just thinking: ‘wow I am actually going to play with the England team.’

“It took me a while to register and I was just answering the gaffer’s questions. Then I came off the phone and rang my parents. We have a family group chat. I broke the news and they were just screaming for 20 minutes. Everyone going crazy. It was a massive moment for my whole family.” – Guardian