Toney will make his long-awaited return this weekend (Picture: Getty)
Thomas Frank remains fully confident Ivan Toney will remain at Brentford this month despite the striker’s interview this week suggesting a move could still be on the cards.
Toney will return from his eight-month ban for betting breaches on Saturday afternoon and will wear the captain’s armband when Brentford take on Nottingham Forest.
Toney scored 21 goals in 35 appearances for the Bees last season and established himself as one of the most sought after strikers in the Premier League. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are all interested in his services with the London clubs considering big-money moves for him this month.
Brentford have placed a huge valuation on their prized asset and Toney appeared to distance himself from transfer speculation in a video shared on the club’s YouTube channel this week.
However, the striker opened the door to a move again in an interview with Sky Sports two days later.
‘Everybody wants to play for the top clubs, fighting for titles and these kind of things, Toney said.
‘So whether it’s this January… whenever the right time is, if a club were to come in and pay the right money, who knows.’
Frank confident Toney is ready to deliver (Picture: Getty)
Quizzed on Toney’s latest comments, Frank told a press conference on Friday morning: ‘As I have said earlier, that is 99-point-something [per cent] he will stay here.
‘Football is crazy, you never know what is going to happen tomorrow. He is very committed to be here, very committed to helping the team.
‘I spoke to him yesterday about it that is very clear in his mind, we just have that zero-point-something [per cent] number of craziness in football that you can’t rule out. He wants to stay here, he want to help the team, we want to keep him.’
Frank also confirmed Brentford are still to receive any offers for their striker.
Toney’s last Premier League appearance was 259 days ago, a 1-0 defeat at Liverpool on May 6. The striker has been allowed to train with his teammates since September with Frank confident he is ready to make an immediate impact upon his return.
‘I’m looking into the eyes of a player that’s very committed,’ he said.
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‘He will start tomorrow [against Nottingham Forest] and will captain the side. I’m pretty sure he’s ready.
‘He’s a special character, a fantastic person to be around. The energy he brings, the smile, the positivity, is a massive thing.
‘He drags people – he wants to win. It’s a massive boost. It’s like a new signing. There’s an argument for him being the second-best striker in the league, in my opinion.’
MORE : Arsenal and Chelsea target Ivan Toney makes U-turn with January transfer admission
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The striker will start and captain the Bees on Saturday.