Ivan Toney breaks silence on return amid Arsenal and Chelsea transfer rumours

07 January 2024 , 18:10

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Ivan Toney breaks silence on return amid Arsenal and Chelsea transfer rumours

Ivan Toney admits he has "unfinished business" ahead of his return for Brentford this month after serving an eight-month suspension for betting offences.

The England international has been forced to watch from the sidelines as his Brentford team-mates battle without his goalscoring prowess with Thomas Frank's side slipping to 16th in the Premier League table without their talisman. Toney has been heavily linked with a move elsewhere in the January transfer window after hinting he'd be open to a switch to a bigger club.

Arsenal and Chelsea are two clubs in desperate need for a striker with Toney a potential target, while Brentford are resigned to losing their frontman but will only sell if the price is right. Toney is available to play for Brentford from January 17 and could feature in their next Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest three days later.

In an exclusive interview with Mirror Football - which will be released in full on Monday - Toney said: "I know there’s a lot of people thinking ‘Can he do this, can he do that? How will he be when he gets back?'"

Toney also admitted his spell on the sidelines had made him question his enjoyment of the game. “I didn’t watch football. I didn’t watch football for a while. In a way I punished myself. There was a stage I probably did fall out of love with football. It is what it is, the situation is done.“

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Brentford have supported Toney through his FA ban and are eager to get their star man back on the field. Asked what he’ll be telling himself in the tunnel ahead of his first game back, he replied: “You’ve got things to do. Watch this space and let’s see what happens.”

While Toney hinted during the summer he would be open to a move to one of the Premier League's elite, Brentford boss Frank is adamant the club will not sanction a deal in January unless they receive an "unbelievable" offer.

"The very short answer is yes," said Frank, when asked if Toney would be staying at the club beyond January. "He is a Brentford player. He is here, we miss a few offensive players and I cannot see why we should sell him. I would love to have him here for a long time.

"It is not for me to discuss (an offer), but if I could ever recommend one, it would need to be an unbelievable price, so he will stay here."

Darren Wells