Ivan Toney says Al-Ahli would threaten Champions League places, but who is in their squad?
Updated 12/09/2025 at 00:30 GMT+1
Ivan Toney said this week his Al-Ahli side would be "close to the top four" if they played in the Premier League and that the Saudi Pro League is "on a par" with England's top flight. Toney believes Al-Hilal's victory over Manchester City in the last 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup is evidence of this. So, who does Toney share the dressing room with, and does the team possess Premier League quality?
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Ivan Toney said this week that his Al-Ahli side would go close to securing a top-four finish if they were in the Premier League.Â
Toney joined the Saudi Pro League team last summer for ÂŁ33.6 million in a move that raised eyebrows, with the forward having been talked about as a possible ÂŁ100m player 12 months prior and attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea.Â
The transition from the English top flight to the Saudi Pro League is often regarded as a step down in quality, but the former Brentford striker believes this is not the case, suggesting Al-Hilal's 4-3 victory over Manchester City in the FIFA Club World Cup this summer is evidence of similar standards.
Speaking to The Guardian, Toney said: "For me, [the Pro League] is on a par with the Premier League.Â
"If [Al-Ahli] were in the Premier League, we’d give it a good go and we’d be close to the top four.Â
"It is a quality league and people should not turn their noses up. We saw Al-Hilal play against Man City and beat them."
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There are a number of recognisable faces in the Al-Ahli side, who finished fifth in the Saudi Pro League last season.
But who exactly is in the squad, what stage of their career are they at, and would there be enough quality to compete in the Premier League?
Al-Ahli's most recent starting line-up
Looking at Al-Ahli's starting line-up from their recent 5-0 win over Al-Arabi, there are several players who have arrived from top European outfits, with the average age of the side just over 26 years old.
| Age | Al-Ahli appearances | Previous club | |
| Al Sanbi (GK) | 24 | 22 | - |
| Majrashi (DEF) | 25 | 100 | Al-Shabab |
| Demiral (DEF) | 27 | 69 | Atalanta |
| Ibanez (DEF) | 26 | 82 | Roma |
| Dams (DEF) | 21 | 18 | PSV Eindhoven |
| Kessie (MID) | 28 | 81 | Barcelona |
| Mahrez (MID) | 34 | 82 | Manchester City |
| Millot (MID) | 23 | 4 | Stuttgart |
| Al-Johani (MID) | 23 | 101 | - |
| Galeno (MID) | 27 | 22 | Porto |
| Toney (FOR) | 29 | 48 | Brentford |
Key figures in the squad
Ivan ToneyÂ
Toney arrived in the Saudi Pro League last summer, having just featured in the European Championships for England, and after establishing himself as one of the most prolific strikers in the Premier League.
He has since scored 35 goals in just 48 games for Al-Ahli, with only Cristiano Ronaldo scoring more in the league last season.
Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez joined Al-Ahli in the summer of 2023 after registering 28 goal involvements in Manchester City's treble-winning campaign to round off a five-year stay at the Etihad.
Despite turning 34 in February, the Algerian is showing no signs of slowing down, with 17 goals and 21 assists in all competitions for his club last season.
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Edouard MendyÂ
Edouard Mendy is another UEFA Champions League-winning player in the Al-Ahli squad, having joined just two years after tasting European glory with Chelsea.
The Senegalese goalkeeper has made 77 appearances in his two seasons at the club, keeping a clean sheet in 33 of those games.
Enzo MillotÂ
While the players so far are arguably all entering the twilight years of their careers, that is certainly not the case for Enzo Millot.
Despite interest from the likes of Atletico Madrid, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder joined Al-Ahli this summer after registering 20 goal involvements in an impressive Frankfurt side last season.
GalenoÂ
Brazilian winger Galeno is another player who was impressing in Europe, with plenty of years ahead of him, but made the move to the Saudi Pro League nonetheless.
The 27-year-old scored eight goals in 18 league appearances for Porto in the first half of last season before joining Al-Ahli in January.
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Roger Ibanez
In Roger Ibanez, Al-Ahli have another player arguably entering their prime, but with vast amounts of experience at a top level.
The 26-year-old central defender was signed from Roma in 2023, but had already made over 100 appearances in Serie A at the time.
Franck KessieÂ
Franck Kessie is another player with significant European pedigree, having made over 200 appearances for AC Milan before spending a season with Barcelona, in which he featured 43 times.
He was part of the Milan team that won Serie A in 2021/22 and the following season was part of the Barcelona team that claimed the La Liga title.
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