Brentford successfully retained Ivan Toney in their squad this month, despite substantial interest from Arsenal. Their manager Thomas Frank has emphasised that any potential departure of the striker will be dictated by the club.
Having served a suspension for the initial part of the season, Toney has recently made a comeback, playing a pivotal role in Brentford’s efforts to avoid relegation. Toney expressed no desire to depart immediately upon his return, and the club, recognising his significance, was keen to retain him, especially considering the challenges faced in his absence.
As the summer approaches, discussions surrounding Toney’s future will likely resurface, but Brentford remains resolute in asserting its authority over the decision-making process.
Speaking on the striker’s future, Frank said, as quoted by The Sun:
“Happy? Yes – but I was pretty sure as I said from the beginning that Ivan will stay with us so I was not worried about that.
“In general, it is nice to know what you are working with so in that situation, yes [I am happy]. At the end of the day we decide if they leave or not.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Toney is one of the finest strikers around and has done well since Brentford’s promotion.
If he keeps scoring and hits double figures for goals in this second half of the term, we have to get him in the summer.
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I think Toney is a clear and obvious choice that could solve Arsenal’s striker issue. However being in the main transfer window (IE: Not in January) will open-up other possibilities at the end of the season so there may be an opportunity to choose between a few suitable candidates again, whereas in the window just gone it was a case of “Get anybody that you can of the necessary quality” and Toney was one of the only ones that seemed in any way possible. He might still be the best candidate at the end of the season, in which case Arsenal should go all-out to get him (He’s proven in the league, unlike even Vlahovic and Osimhen, who both seem like players that could fail in the English league despite looking great where they currently are. They wouldn’t be the first imports with big expectations to do so) so it will be interesting to see how it plays out. One way or another it’s not an area that the manager or club can fail to address in the next window.