Soccer-Toney ready to repay Brentford with goals on return from ban

Brentford striker Ivan Toney expressed his readiness to make up for his eight-month ban due to 232 breaches of the betting rules by scoring goals for the Premier League club upon his return. The 27-year-old England international, who was the top scorer for the West London club last season, is set to resume playing on January 16 after resuming training in September.

The team has dropped to 16th place in the league, just four points clear of the drop zone, and the return of Toney is highly anticipated, especially with the player being linked to a potential transfer to Arsenal in the transfer window.

Toney, in an interview with Sky Sports television and the Daily Mirror, expressed his gratitude to Brentford, calling the club a “family club” and acknowledging the tremendous support from the fans. He expressed a strong desire to repay the club and the fans for their support.

“They’re struggling at the moment but I’m sure when I’m back I will play a big part to get them out of the losing form they’ve been in. I can’t wait to get back and be helping my team mates,” Toney was quoted as saying.

Toney’s first game back will be against Nottingham Forest on January 20, following a promising performance in a friendly in which he scored a hat-trick and provided an assist. Brentford has been facing injuries and absences, with their top scorer Bryan Mbeumo sidelined by an ankle injury and Yoane Wissa absent due to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Toney admitted that it had been difficult to watch from the sidelines and that he had experienced a period where he “fell out of love with football.” He mentioned that although he watched Brentford games, he had lost interest in other leagues previously.

Despite the doubts that may arise about his return, Toney remained confident in his abilities. He stated, “I know what I’m capable of, so I guess when I get onto the pitch I’ll just do what I do best.”

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)