Why ex-Birmingham City, Arsenal man had to leave English football - he’s revealed it | OneFootball

Jon Toral had three spells in the Championship with Blues and Hull City

Birmingham City and Hull City are now two clubs looking to awaken from recent slumbers in the EFL, although it would appear as though the Tigers are in a stronger position to do exactly that in the current campaign.

Present fortunes aside, the West Midlands and East Yorkshire outfits have, for the majority of recent years, spent time in the same divisions - be that the Premier League or, more regularly, the Championship - whilst also falling into League One and bouncing straight back as champions in 2020/21 and, in Blues' case, last season.

Supporters of both clubs have also seen a handful of players don their respective colours in recent times, with standout names on this front including the likes of Curtis Davies, who went on to score in the Tigers' FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal in 2014 less than 12 months after swapping St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park for the MKM Stadium.

Another somewhat forgotten name, though, at present, who also featured for both sides in the mid-to-late 2010s was Spanish playmaker, Jon Toral.

After progressing through the Arsenal academy following his switch from FC Barcelona in 2011, the attacking midfielder was tipped to have a relatively strong ceiling of potential.

It was Blues fans who certainly got a strong glimpse of his talents during the 2015/16 season when Gary Rowett lured the technician away from the Emirates Stadium for his second experience of Championship football after a previous stint with Brentford.

Yet after two further mixed stints in English football's second tier with Hull, and then again with Birmingham, the now 31-year-old has revealed why his subsequent career path hasn't seen him return.

Jon Toral reveals why he had to leave English football after mixed Birmingham City, Hull City fortunes

During the first of his two spells at St. Andrew's, Toral was a regular crowd pleaser under Rowett, adding a strong element of flair to a squad stereotypically known for work-rate over technical ability.

After starting the 2015/16 season with back-to-back goals against Reading and Burnley, the Spaniard scored six more times and provided a further four assists as the Midlands club finished in a respectable 10th place.

Following a short-lived loan with Rangers, Hull then invested £3m in his services in 2017 after their relegation from the Premier League.

However, an injury-hit spell in HU3 was showcased by a tally of just four goals in 56 appearances, before returning to Blues on a free transfer in 2020 after the Tigers were relegated under Grant McCann.

Toral, again, failed to have the strongest of impacts under Aitor Karanka and Lee Bowyer, and departed at the end of the 2020/21 season before penning a deal with OFI of the Greek Super League.

He has now revealed why, for the betterment of his career and personal life, the only logical option was to leave these shores.

"I had it clear in my mind that I had to leave England and try something new because I wasn't finding myself, I wasn't happy at home as well being a new dad and I wasn't the person I want to be," Toral told Birmingham Live's Keep Right On podcast.

“So I felt that I needed to change something in my life to find myself again and I did that going to Greece. I don't regret that decision because I found myself again in Greece and I enjoyed everything that I wasn't enjoying anymore in England."

Where Jon Toral now plays may shock Arsenal, Birmingham City and Hull City supporters

After spending three years with OFI, Toral has since based himself in the Middle East, joining Mumbai City in July 2024, before he departed the club by mutual consent in January after just 21 appearances.

He now plies his trade for Indonesian Super League side, Persik Kediri, having signed a short-term contract at the turn of the year.

It is clearly a move which has benefited Toral's career, though, as he has already posted two goals and three assists in his first 12 matches throughout all competitions.