Ivan Toney's Next Destination Confirmed by Brentford Manager

• Ivan Toney has been strongly linked to Arsenal in recent months
• The Gunners are on the hunt for a new striker to bolster their attack
• Thomas Frank dropped a hint about Toney's potential January destination

Arsenal have been dealt a blow as Brentford manager Thomas Frank appeared to confirm the striker would stay with the Bees in January.

Toney is set to return to the Brentford squad after serving an eight-month ban over betting breaches.

The 27-year-old has been linked with a move away from Brentford while serving his ban, with Arsenal being tipped to snap up his services.

Mikel Arteta’s side could do with extra firepower up front, especially after seeing their title ambitions suffer a devastating blow in recent weeks.

According to the Premier League website. Arsenal has just one win in six games across all competitions, a run of form attributed to their bluntness in front of goal in December 2023.

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Now five points off leaders Liverpool, the Gunners will need to revamp their squad to be more competitive, but they may have to look elsewhere for a potent striker.

Thomas Frank’s take on Toney

During a press conference on Thursday, January 4, Brentford boss Thomas Frank inevitably discussed Toney’s future as the striker gears up for a return to the Bees’ game against Nottingham Forest on January 20.

According to the Brentford boss, the club had no intentions of selling Toney in January and would only let him go for an astronomical transfer fee.

“The very short answer, yes,” he said when asked whether Toney would still be part of the Brentford squad come February.

The gaffer added, as per Fabrizio Romano, “He is a Brentford player, he is here. Clearly, we miss a few offensive players, I can’t see why we would sell him and I would love to have him for a longer time.”

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Frank was then pressed to speak on what the “unbelievable price” Toney would go for if an offer came by, to which he responded, “You have a good imagination.”

What next for Brentford?

The Bees are gearing up for a crunch FA Cup clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday, January 5.

A big boost for Frank’s side is the potential return of Josh Dasilva, who has been missing in action due to a hamstring injury since August 2023.

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Arsenal told to ‘shut up’ over Bukayo Saka

Elsewhere, Arsenal lodged a complaint to PGMOL about the treatment of Bukayo Saka by Premier League rivals.

The year 2023 ended with the winger as the most fouled player in the league - 87 times. Only Jordan Ayew (117) and Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes (92) were fouled more.

Saka has had an Achilles tendon issue since last season, with his latest setback happening on October 3 during a game against the French side, RC Lens. He was out for a few weeks due to the persistent injury.