Thomas Frank on Ivan Toney’s future: “It’s relatively obvious that Toney will probably be sold this summer. We also know what he’s worth. He’s a really capable striker who’s in his prime.” Brentford call for tougher action after more online racist abuse of Toney
13:26, UK, Wednesday 07 February 2024
Ivan Toney will “probably be sold this summer”, admitted Brentford boss Thomas Frank.
Toney recently returned to action after an eight-month ban for 232 breaches of FA football betting rules.
His return comes amid speculation over his future at Brentford, with the England international on the radar of a number of top clubs across Europe and the Premier League, including Chelseawhile Arsenal are also said to be keen, but the west London club kept their talisman in the January transfer window.
A look back at Toney’s best Premier League goals
However, interest in Toney is set to rise again at the end of the season and Frank admitted the 27-year-old is likely to leave Brentford this summer.
“It’s relatively obvious that Ivan Toney will probably be sold this summer,” Frank told Danish media. Tipsbladet.
“We also know what it’s worth. I don’t think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him at the moment.
“He is a very capable striker who is in his prime football age. Personally, as a manager, I would prefer to keep Toney, but one day it would be fun to see him in a top team.
“This winter we didn’t have any offers for him, but I would be surprised if there weren’t many clubs interested in him.”
How much will Toney cost?
Sky Sports’ Peter Smith and Lyall Thomas discuss whether or not Toney is worth Brentford’s £100m price tag
Back in November, Sky Sports News reported that Brentford valued Toney at £100m, with reports of a £50-60m pay meeting met with derision in the club’s boardroom.
He echoed Frank’s valuation, with the Dane stating last summer that he believed Toney was worth £100m.
Frank said: “£100m plus?… What would you pay for a striker who guarantees you more than 20 goals? And that’s 20 goals for a mid-table club. What can he do at a bigger club?”
Toney: “I’d like to play for a top team”
In an interview last month, Toney refused to rule out a January move away from Brentford, admitting he wants to play for a “top club”.
Toney reiterated his desire to play for a “top team that competes for trophies” in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports ahead of his return to football last month.
Toney returns for Brentford after being banned for breaching FA betting rules
He said Sky Sports: “You can never predict when the time is right for me to move elsewhere, but I think it’s obvious that I want to play in a top team.
“Everyone wants to play for a top club, who are fighting for titles. If this January is the right time for a club to come and pay the right money, who knows?
“But my main goal is to do what I do on the pitch and let the background take care of itself.”
Bradford strongly condemns Toney’s racism
On Wednesday afternoon, Brentford also confirmed that Toney had been racially abused once again this season, following Monday’s defeat by Manchester City.
The club’s statement read: “We have launched investigations into this despicable act of harassment, which we condemn in the strongest possible terms.
“Unfortunately, this is not the first time Ivan has had to deal with something like this. A similar incident happened just four weeks ago, which led to us tracking down an alleged perpetrator who we reported to the authorities. To date, we have yet to see any action taken against that person.
“In general, the response from social media platforms to these current issues has been underwhelming. Their solutions, such as filters to simply hide abuse, may protect players, miss the mark entirely, and not deter offenders. With no real consequences for those responsible, the cycle is doomed to repeat itself.
“We have faith that things can change. We appreciate the dialogue we have with people like Meta, but we call for more decisive and urgent action to combat online hate. We call for prompt investigations and, above all, we call for criminal prosecutions.
“We will continue to work with the authorities and the Premier League and support our players as we tackle this appalling online abuse.”
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