Smash Hit Ivan Tops The Charts

IVAN Toney chortles when he is asked about the various Championship clubs reportedly tussling for his signature this summer.

- Chris Dunlavy

“To be honest, I was waiting for PSG to come in,” says the Peterborough striker. “But they couldn’t sell Neymar so... you know.”

Joking aside, Toney has every right to set lofty ambitions. Before kick-off this weekend, the 23-year-old was the leading league scorer in England, his eight goals for Posh eclipsing even the great Sergio Aguero.

And this is no random hot streak. Since ditching an itinerant life as a perpetual loanee at Newcastle United to join Peterborough in August last year, Toney has either scored or assisted 39 goals in 63 appearances.

That’s one every 119 minutes, and a mammoth 35 percent of all the goals scored by Peterborough over the period.

“I’m just doing my job, really,” says Toney, who became the youngest player in Northampton Town history when he made his debut as a 16-year-old in 2012.

Achievable

“But to be top scorer in England… yeah, it’s a good feeling. Before the season started, I said to all my family and friends that I wanted to be the top scorer in League One. That is my aim.”

And if history is any indicator, an eminently achievable one. In the past 11 years, Jack Marriott, Britt Assombalonga, Craig Mackail-Smith and Aaron McLean have all won golden boots whilst decked in Peterborough colours.