Published on 18.01.2024
Brentford striker Ivan Toney has said he feels “free” following the end of his eight-month ban from football.
Toney, 27, is now able to play for the Bees after a suspension for breaking Football Association gambling rules. He has scored 32 goals in 64 Premier League games since joining Brentford in 2020 and is eager to build on his tally this season.
“It feels like we lost wi-fi connection but we’re back connected again and reloaded,” Toney sarcastically said.
“I feel like a free man. It feels like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I have a target of how many goals I want to get,” he added.
Toney has not played a competitive match since 6 May 2023, having served an eight-month ban for 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules. He was allowed to return to training with Brentford in September but the ban prohibited him from playing until 17 January. Toney, who has been linked with transfer interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, is set to feature when Brentford face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.
“It’s obvious I’d like to play for a top club, everybody wants to play for the top clubs, fighting for titles and these kinds of things.
“So whether it’s this January for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows?” He said.
“I’ve been training well and playing well in behind closed doors. I don’t have anything to prove to anyone but myself. I want to show I can do it,”
“It was the ‘feel sorry for yourself’ moment for so long, but I think I’ve chosen the right way by working hard.” the striker said.
