Toney: Saudi move was the right choice; excited to join England squad

According to English media reports, Toney stated that moving to Saudi Arabia did not ruin his chances with the England national team.

Toney claimed that his controversial decision to transfer to Saudi Arabia has now proven to be the right one. The former Brentford striker joined Al-Ahli in August 2024 and was unexpectedly called up to Tuchel's World Cup squad.

Toney told ITV Sport: "At the time, a lot of people were saying that me going to Saudi Arabia would ruin my chances of being in contention for the England squad, but I don't listen to outside noise."

"Everyone wrote me off from the England team, thinking I wouldn't be involved again, but you have to have that belief that you can turn things around, and here I am sitting here doing your interview."

"You have to have that aura, you have to have that confidence. Not just in football, but in life, too; you have to be fearless."

Before his World Cup selection, he had only made one brief substitute appearance for Tuchel, against Senegal a year prior.

Toney made his 8th appearance for England last Saturday against New Zealand in Tampa. He is one of three center-forwards selected for the squad, the other two being Harry Kane and Watkins.

Toney is expected to get more playing time in England's match against Costa Rica in Orlando tonight.

Speaking about how he felt when he received the call-up, Toney said: "It was just pure excitement."

"To be involved is a massive honor, a huge honor. We've got a big mission ahead of us, and everyone is ready to fight for the country."

Toney left Brentford for a transfer fee of approximately €40 million. He made his England debut in 2023 but was banned for 8 months for 232 breaches of betting regulations.

Toney was unable to play for his club or country until his ban ended in January 2024. Two months later, he scored his first goal for England against Belgium.

Speaking about Toney's unexpected selection, head coach Tuchel admitted: "I wasn't happy with the June camp, and he knows that. It wasn't about his character."

"We had to clear the air after that. That was the first step to reconsidering calling him up, because I wasn't satisfied."

"Then, I and the coaching staff started discussing the team more deeply, discussing different scenarios, such as what the most attacking lineup would look like if we were 0-1 down with 15 minutes left and needed to score."

"And then his name kept coming up. Because he has that presence. Harry likes playing with him because he feels Toney can help distract defenders."

"He's even more of a traditional number 9 than Harry himself. So, if there's a deflection in the box, would you want the ball to fall to him? Yes, of course."

"We are also trying to build a team that is very strong at set pieces. He can contribute both defensively and offensively, and he's a world-class penalty taker. He ticks a lot of boxes."

"It was necessary to communicate with him again and confirm if he was willing to come back."

"The closest person to him at the time was Calvert-Lewin, because he also has excellent heading ability."