Ivan Toney Brentford selection news amid Chelsea and Arsenal transfer links - sources

Brentford striker Ivan Toney can now feel a sigh of relief after his eight-month ban on football ended following the Bees's 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace over the weekend. Toney has been back training with the team for the last three and half months and LondonWorld understands that he's now aiming for his big Premier League return against Nottingham Forest on January 20th. 

The Brentford striker was charged with 262 breaches of the FA's Rule E8, admitting to 232 of those charges, with 30 of them withdrawn. They related to various bets placed by Toney on himself to score, his team to win, and sometimes on his team to lose, although not when the 27-year-old was playing.

Brentford coped well for the first half of his ban but the injury to Bryan Mbeumo has landed a hammer blow on Thomas Frank who admitted over the weekend that he couldn't wait for his main man to be back.

The Brentford manager said after the defeat at Selhurst: “Even if we had everyone available and we had won five in a row, or if we had a few players out and lost a few games, I would always look forward to Ivan coming back. He is needed as a character, a leader and a good player.” 

There are still issues of fitness to sort out but he's been training with the team for the last three months so Thomas Frank should be able to carefully integrate him back into it. 

In the worst-case scenario where the club decide that the game against Forest might be too soon, then the visit to Tottenham presents the best opportunity for him to make a league return even though depending on how things work out in the FA Cup another game could pop up there before the visit to Spurs.

Chelsea and Arsenal have both been strongly linked with the striker and there is still a chance that he might move before the winter transfer window shuts.