Saudi media claim make big Newcastle United transfer claim as Matthias Jaissle eyes reunion
Ivan Toney worked under Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle at Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli.
Matthias Jaissle wants to bring Ivan Toney back to Newcastle United, according to reports in Saudi Arabia.
Toney first joined the Magpies as a 19-year-old from Northampton Town in 2015 but made more loan appearances than first-team appearances before leaving to join Peterborough United on a permanent basis three years later.
From there, the striker worked his way back up the leagues, progressing from League One to the Premier League. He joined Brentford while they were still in the Championship before helping them secure promotion to England’s top flight.
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The 30-year-old left Brentford two years ago for a lucrative move to Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli, where he worked under Jaissle before the German succeeded Eddie Howe as Newcastle head coach in the summer.
Toney scored 72 goals in 93 appearances under Jaissle and, according to Saudi journalist Khalid Al-Shenaif, as reported by Win Win (via Sport Witness), his former boss wants to reunite with him on Tyneside.
Could Ivan Toney really return to Newcastle United?
If Toney were open to returning to England, he would likely have to take a significant pay cut, with his salary at Al Ahli understood to be almost three times that of Newcastle’s highest earner. He is under contract until 2028.
And although Al Ahli are owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, negotiations would not necessarily be straightforward, as illustrated by the £9.4million compensation package the Magpies had to pay to appoint Jaissle.
Toney previously said that he has no hard feelings towards Newcastle, despite being disappointed at being let go.
“Leaving Newcastle, when I went to Peterborough, was an eye-opener,” Toney said.
“That was a case of ‘right, I have to turn my game around to get back up. I might see myself as a Premier League player, but I’m a League One player now. I have got to keep fighting and working hard’. And I certainly did that.
“Looking back, if I was a Newcastle manager looking at a 20-year-old Ivan Toney, would I have taken him? Probably not.
“There are no hard feelings, you just have got to get on with it. They have done what they had to do. They felt I wasn’t good enough, so it was up to me to pick myself up and go again.”