Brentford boss Thomas Frank has insisted that star striker Ivan Toney is “happy at the club.” The head coach made the claim during his customary Friday press conference. Brentford is set to face West Ham on Saturday, November 4th. Both clubs sit side by side in the middle of the Premier League table.
Toney has been out of action since being banned for betting on matches back in May. The England international is, however, set to be able to return to action in January. Brentford would love to hold on to their star striker, but there are plenty of clubs circling the center forward. Toney will be free to play once again during the January transfer market.
“I want him to stay. Ivan is happy to stay. He is happy at the club,” Frank told reporters on Friday. “What happens in the future is impossible to guess about.”
“He’s a top player, one of our most important players, if not the most important last year. Any player that can score 20-plus goals in the Premier League are very, very important. Ivan’s skillset in terms of finishing abilities with his left and right (foot), heading and his composure in those moments and his link-up play and his presence, character, is a very good package.”
Bees brass could soon receive an offer they cannot refuse
While Frank wants Toney to stay, the decision is not exactly up to the coach. Brentford brass may find it difficult to turn down a massive offer for their star player. The manager acknowledged this in the press conference as well. “It’s not (up to) me to put a price tag on him, it’s down to the club,” continued Frank. “But I’m happy with him. I hope he plays here forever and I’m the coach.”
Previous reports suggested that the Bees would listen to offers for Toney in the region of $73 million. Recent news, however, has surfaced that Brentford may ask for as much as $123 million for the center forward. It does seem highly unlikely that clubs would be willing to meet this latter fee though, especially in the January transfer.
Ivan Toney, while facing his ban, has returned to training with Brentford.
Arsenal, Chelsea reportedly interested in star striker
Nevertheless, Chelsea has a recent history of spending incredible amounts of money on players. In fact, the Blues shelled out fairly similar money for Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in the last two transfer windows. The west London side also seemingly needs a new center forward as well. Raheem Sterling is currently the club’s highest scorer on the season with just three top-flight goals.
Despite recording a net spend of nearly $1 billion since the summer of 2022, Chelsea is still struggling to score goals. The Blues have only managed to score 13 total goals in 10 Premier League fixtures so far this season.
Fellow English rivals Arsenal are also thought to be interested in Toney as well. The Gunners do not have a drastic scoring issue such as Chelsea, but they could use a center forward. Gabriel Jesus is the undeniable first-choice center forward in the team. However, the Brazilian does struggle with injuries at times.
When Jesus is not in the lineup, Eddie Nketiah takes over in his place. The Englishman has shown glimpses of progress so far this season, particularly scoring a hat trick against Sheffield United. However, it remains to be seen if the forward can perform on a consistent basis.
PHOTOS: IMAGO
