FROM GTECH COMMUNITY STADIUM – Ivan Toney may only have two games left in his Brentford career. Besides, he may have another 40 or so to come.
The 28-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from the Gtech Community Stadium this summer, with his contract set to expire in 2025. Both team and team spent little time or effort to extinguish such flames with gallons of gasoline.
At this time last season, it was easy to think of Toney's hopes of moving to a team that competes in Europe or perhaps even compete for titles. Even with an eight-month ban from football on the way, it's a classy and thought-provoking way to bounce back from a 20-goal Premier League campaign.
But the pool of suitors is starting to dry up. Many big clubs are looking for a new striker and the choice is limited in that market, however the option to buy Toney is becoming less attractive.
There were already a number of doubts and question marks in the minds of interested parties from the beginning. Are his best years still ahead of him? How would he look after being out of competitive action for so long? Why should they commit to a player who has shown social indifference to his current team?
And that's all before you get to his current form. After scoring in a 0-0 draw with rivals Fulham, Toney has now gone ten games without a goal and has kept just four in 15 games since returning in January. The numbers are really amazing you have to go back and check the game logs to make sure they are correct.
Describing this latest performance as disinterested would put office workers to shame at 4:50pm on the Friday before the bank holiday weekend everywhere. That's at least natural for footballers at this level who have little to fight for at this stage of the season, but Toney was actually the only player who could fight back.
Disgruntled Brentford fans roared as he smashed home an easy task as he pressed on in the first half. Their frustration continued in the second and there was a bit of air when captain Christian Norgaard handed him the armband. When Thomas Frank rolled the dice with his final set of changers, it was a wonder Toney's number 17 didn't come up.
Even more than trying to bring back the flattering looks of the Premier League players, a place in England's Euro 2024 squad is still up for grabs. It may not make sense for Gareth Southgate to take two backups to Harry Kane, and if he only takes up one such place, it's more likely to go to Ollie Watkins – who has 34 (thirty-four, yes) more goals. contributions than Toney this season.
Toney has just two games left this season to prove his worth to the Three Lions and the 'big six'. The signs do not look promising.
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