Ivan Toney was a reported target for Nottingham Forest during the summer and less than a year on his value has rocketed.
The striker is set to be a wanted man this summer after stunning maiden campaign at Brentford.
He has found the net 29 times with five games still to play and Football League World are claiming the Bees have placed a £35 million bounty on his head.
According to The Mirror (07/08; page 54), Forest were one of several clubs looking at Toney prior to his move to London.
It is thought that Brentford paid a fee which could rise to £9 million for the striker and he’s proved to be worth every single penny.
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Naturally, his prolific form will alert several Premier League clubs. If Thomas Frank’s team don’t get over the line and win promotion, they could be powerless to stop Toney from leaving for the top-flight.
It seems remarkable that after just a single season at Brentford his stock has risen so considerably.
Furthermore, it highlights that several clubs will be wishing they’d done more to sign him during the summer – including Forest.
Why did Forest miss the boat?
Given the uncertain times with Covid and the global pandemic, Forest probably didn’t feel they could warrant such an outlay on a striker.
Lewis Grabban scored 20 times last season, whilst Lyle Taylor checked into the club on a free transfer from Charlton.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and perhaps the club felt they were well-stocked in the striking department.
Some will point to the fact that with no supporters in the stadium, Forest were unsure over splashing the cash in such uncertain times.
Having signed 16 players, however, that perhaps won’t wash with lots of fans – and nor it should.
Many of the players recruited have failed to have an impact; with some even leaving the club already!
Toney’s asking price sounded a lot but £6 million rising to £9 million now looks like an absolute steal.
At 24 he looks set for a really bright future in the game and right now, he looks like a transfer target that got away from Forest.