Ivan Toney, a striker for Brentford, may finally breathe a sigh of relief as his eight-month football suspension has come to an end after the Bees’ 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace over the weekend. After spending the last three and a half months retraining with the team, Toney is now targeting his big Premier League comeback against Nottingham Forest on January 20th, as LondonWorld knows.
The striker for Brentford was accused with 262 violations of FA Rule E8, of which he admitted 232 and then had 30 of those accusations removed. They had to do with several wagers that 27-year-old Toney made, mostly not while he was playing, on himself to score, his team to win, and occasionally on his team to lose.
Brentford fared well throughout the first part of his suspension, but Thomas Frank, who revealed over the weekend that he was eager for his star player to return, has taken a serious hit following the injury to Bryan Mbeumo.
Following the loss at Selhurst, the Brentford manager stated, “I would always look forward to Ivan coming back, even if we had everyone available and we had won five in a row, or if we had a few players out and lost a few games.” He is essential as a good player, a leader, and a person of character.
Although there are still fitness concerns to resolve, Thomas Frank should be able to gently reintegrate him into the team given that he has been training with them for the past three months.
The trip to Tottenham offers the best chance for him to make a league comeback in the worst-case scenario, should the club decide that the match against Forest might be too soon. However, another match could be scheduled there prior to the trip to Spurs, depending on how the FA Cup goes.
The striker has been heavily linked to both Chelsea and Arsenal, and he may yet switch before the winter transfer window closes.
