For most of the past year, Ivan Toney looked like a footballer England had quietly moved on from.
The betting ban was still hanging over his reputation. The move to Saudi Arabia was treated by many as a cash-out. Thomas Tuchel openly admitted he had been unhappy with Toney’s commitment during England’s June 2025 camp. By the time the striker was reduced to a two-minute cameo against Senegal, it felt as though the international story was over.
And yet here he is.
World Cup-bound.
Not as England’s first-choice striker. Not even as a genuine challenger to Harry Kane.
Instead, Tuchel has selected Toney as something stranger.
An emergency option.
A specialist.
A footballing crowbar.
The question is whether England have selected exactly the right tool for tournament football.
Or whether Dominic Calvert-Lewin should be boarding the plane instead.
The Refereeing Storm
If the goals revived his England career, the Al-Fayha controversy nearly destroyed his club one.
Toney’s public criticism of Saudi officiating became one of the season’s biggest stories.
After multiple penalty appeals were rejected during a crucial title race fixture, the striker launched into a furious post-match attack.
“We know who. Who are we chasing?”
Nobody needed a translator.
The implication was obvious.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr sat above Al-Ahli in the standings.
Toney believed something was wrong.
His social media posts only escalated matters.
At one point he openly mocked the quality of officiating and questioned the integrity of the process.
A lengthy suspension suddenly looked possible.
For a player already carrying the baggage of a betting scandal, it could have been catastrophic.
Instead, he survived.
And strangely, the episode may have strengthened his reputation in certain circles.
Not because he was necessarily right.
But because he demonstrated a willingness to speak when remaining silent would have been safer. Which you’ve got to applaud, he’s got balls.
Why Tuchel Changed His Mind
The most fascinating subplot is still Thomas Tuchel.
Twelve months ago, the relationship appeared fractured.
Tuchel publicly questioned Toney’s standards.
Toney appeared frozen out.
The door looked closed.
Then something changed.
Al-Ahli manager Matthias Jaissle, who understands Tuchel’s methods better than most, reportedly became an important intermediary.
England staff travelled to Saudi Arabia.
Conversations took place.
The air was cleared.
And eventually Tuchel settled on a role.
Not starter.
Not deputy starter.
Closer.
“His role is to finish matches for us. He is, in this case, part of a special operations team.”
That wording tells you everything.
Tuchel is not selecting Toney because he believes he is better than Harry Kane.
He is selecting him in the case of penalties.
The Dominic Calvert-Lewin Argument
And this is where things become genuinely interesting.
Because there is a very real argument that Dominic Calvert-Lewin deserved the place instead.
Fourteen Premier League goals for Leeds United carries more weight than thirty-two goals in Saudi Arabia.
The Premier League remains the strongest domestic competition in world football.
The Saudi Pro League does not.
More importantly, Calvert-Lewin’s season was far better than the raw goal total initially suggests.
By December he had become one of the division’s most in-form forwards, putting together a remarkable run of six consecutive Premier League matches with a goal. It was the longest scoring streak of his career and helped drive Leeds through a crucial stretch of fixtures against Chelsea, Liverpool, Brentford, Sunderland and Crystal Palace.
The run earned him Premier League Player of the Month, Leeds United Player of the Month, the PFA Fans’ award and Sky Sports recognition, while also pushing him into double figures for the campaign long before the season reached its conclusion.
There were memorable moments throughout the year. A clinical header against Brighton. A decisive winner against Brentford. The sweeping team move finished against Sunderland that became one of Leeds’ goals of the season.
But statistics also paint a compelling picture.
Calvert-Lewin played 2,726 Premier League minutes, scored 14 goals from 15.81 expected goals, recorded 135 touches inside the opposition penalty area and won a staggering 184 duels.
Most strikingly, he won 128 aerial duels. Not attempted. Won.
That figure places him among the most dominant aerial forwards in European football.
England already know what tournament football looks like when games become ugly. Crosses start flying into the box. Defenders stop playing and start surviving. Structure disappears. Chaos takes over.
In those moments, Calvert-Lewin can become a nightmare.
For supporters who place greater value on opposition quality than raw production, the conclusion feels straightforward.
One striker spent the season scoring against Premier League defenders every week.
The other spent the season scoring in a league ranked 36th in the world.
Pick the Premier League striker.
Leave the Saudi-based striker at home.
Case closed.
One More Conspiracy Theory
Naturally, some supporters have developed a more cynical explanation.
The Saudi Pro League has spent years trying to improve its international legitimacy.
Toney is one of its biggest success stories.
His World Cup selection reflects positively on the competition.
Combine that with the earlier refereeing controversy and the story almost writes itself.
Was this a political selection?
Was somebody keen to showcase the Saudi Pro League on the biggest stage?
Did the timing simply happen to work out rather neatly for everyone involved?
The problem is simple.
There is no evidence.
None.
The Verdict.
Yes, Ivan Tomey scored 32 goals.
Yes, his penalty record is relatively good.
Yes, tournament football occasionally requires such specialists.
But there remains a giant question sitting underneath all of it.
How much should goals in the Saudi Pro League actually count?
For all the talk of Toney’s efficiency, England are ultimately selecting a player operating in the world’s 36th-ranked domestic competition ahead of a striker who spent the season battling Premier League defenders every single week.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored fewer goals. Fact.
He also scored them against vastly better opposition. Fact.
The uncomfortable truth is that England already have Harry Kane. They already have players capable of taking penalties. They already have technical forwards capable of influencing games late on.
What they do not have is another striker who combines Calvert-Lewin’s aerial dominance, physicality and experience against elite opposition.
Tuchel clearly sees Toney as an emergency solution.
The problem is that England may have left a better emergency solution at home.
Tournament football is often decided by ugly moments. A cross launched into the box. A second ball. A tired defender losing a duel in the 89th minute.
In those situations, there is a compelling argument that Calvert-Lewin is actually the more dangerous weapon.
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