11 months ago
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Ivan Toney has refused to rule out a move away from Brentford this January and admits he has ambitions to play for a ‘top club’ challenging for major honours.
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The 27-year-old forward is preparing to make his long-awaited return for Brentford at home to Nottingham Forest this weekend after serving an eight-month ban for gambling offences.
Scoring 21 goals in 35 appearances for the Bees last term, Toney has established himself as one of the most feared strikers in England and has been heavily linked with the Premier League’s elite this month, despite his time on the sidelines.
It’s understood both Arsenal and Chelsea are weighing up big-money moves for the England international, who gave a timely reminder of his quality in front of goal with a hat-trick for Brentford’s B team earlier this month.
Toney appeared to distance himself from the ongoing speculation this week as he indicated he had no thoughts about leaving Brentford in a video on the club’s official YouTube channel.
But just two days on, in an interview with Sky Sports, Toney could not categorically rule out the possibility of a move away from the Gtech Community Stadium before the January transfer deadline.
‘I don’t know, you can never predict when is the right time to move elsewhere but it’s obvious that I would like to play for a top club,’ he said.
‘Everybody wants to play for the top clubs, fighting for titles and these kind of things.
‘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.
‘But my main focus is doing what I do on the pitch and let the background work take care of itself.’
After an agonising spell of eight months on the sidelines, Toney feels like a ‘free man’ and is raring to take to the field again this coming weekend.
‘I feel like a free man,’ the ex-Peterborough United attacker added.
‘A massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I can’t wait to get back enjoying and playing football this Saturday so it’ll be good.
‘Things happen in life, you take it on the chin and you move forward with it.
‘I should have been playing and helping the team perform well. But there’s obviously still good players in the team that also have a role to do and step in when needed.
‘I do feel kind of bad but it is what it is, I can’t dwell on it too much, I can’t change it so what’s done is done.’
Toney – capped once by Gareth Southgate – is desperate to return to the international fold and is ready to compete with England’s finest for a starting berth.
On his ambition to be England’s first-choice No.9, Toney said: ‘To be the best you have to compete against the best.
‘Harry Kane is one of the best strikers in the world, he’s been doing it for so many years now.
‘If I want to be England’s No.1 then I have to compete against him and he’s not a bad striker to be taking tips from when training with him.
I’ve just got to keep scoring goals, playing well and who knows what will happen.
‘If I fall just short of that then hopefully I can become the second best in the world.’
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