What Julen Lopetegui has already said about Ivan Toney amid West Ham transfer rumour
The Brentford star has been linked to West Ham, of which Lopetegui is already a fan.
It is anticipated that West Ham will name former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui as David Moyes’ successor this summer. It is unclear what this implies for the Hammers’ summer transfer window, although the Spaniard is a supporter of a player who has been linked to a move to the London Stadium.
When the transfer window opens, West Ham is rumoured to be looking for a striker. While Michail Antonio may depart the team this summer when his contract expires, Jarrod Bowen has thrived as an all-around winger despite his success in the middle.
One player who has been strongly linked to a move to the London Stadium is Ivan Toney, a talisman for Brentford.The England international has a £100 million price tag on his head and had previously been targeted by Arsenal and Chelsea.
Since then, the whispers have subsided, and according to Football Insider, West Ham is the team most likely to finalise a deal. With Toney potentially available at a lower cost after failing to score since the middle of February, it would be a bold move on the part of the team.
Lopetegui has only played against Toney once, in an April 2023 Premier League match at Molineux, where Wolves defeated Brentford 2-0. Toney completed the full ninety minutes of play that day, with goals from Diego Costa and Hwang Hee-chan for Wolves.
Before going to Molineux, Toney had five goals in his previous nine games. Following the game, Lopetegui called Toney a “top player” in the Premier League. He gave the following analysis of the game to the Wolves website: “Everyone on the team has put in a lot of defensive work, not just against [Ivan] Toney; they have excellent players.” One of the best players in the Premier League right now is Toney.
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