Since Ivan Toney returned to Brentford training a month ago, he has been lining up for the ‘opposition XI’ during set-piece routines.
Perhaps there is a certain level of foreshadowing about that.
Toney looks set to be on the move next year and, after his betting ban ends, he could be the subject of a January transfer battle between Arsenal and Chelsea.
Brentford are willing to sell the striker and have set a price tag of £80million for a player who will be in the final 18 months of his contract when he is free to play again on January 17.
Toney has made it clear he wants to move to an elite club and has signed with super-agent Jonathan Barnett in a bid to fulfil that dream.
Despite already spending more than £1billion under owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake, Chelsea are prepared to enter the market again if their goalscoring problems persist.
Arsenal are weighing up whether to bolster their forward line to boost their title bid and the availability of a proven goalscorer could spark a bidding war between the London rivals.
Brentford hope foreign clubs could enter the race but, as things stand, Arsenal and Chelsea are the frontrunners to sign the 27-year-old.
Both clubs know there will be an element of risk attached to signing a player coming back from an eight-month ban, and will weigh up whether that is worth the potential reward.
Arsenal have often been reluctant to do big business in January but adding a possible 10 goals from Toney in the second half of the season could make the difference in the title race.
Gabriel Jesus showed his quality with a sublime goalscoring display against Sevilla last week and Eddie Nketiah hit a hat-trick against Sheffield United, though neither Jesus nor Nketiah is a prolific contributor of goals.
Toney scored 20 Premier League goals last season — only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane managed more — and is a player admired by Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal have made him one of their primary targets if they do decide to sign a striker. They have also scouted Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez and Wolves’ Pedro Neto, who can both also play out wide so offer more versatility. But, after spending more than £200m in the summer, the Gunners may need to offload players first.
If Arsenal are still in the mix for their first title since 2004, and the fact a deal with Brentford appears fairly straightforward, they may consider a big-money move a gamble worth taking.
Chelsea are ready to spend once more to address the weaknesses in their squad and a top-level striker is their priority. The Blues drew a blank again as they were booed off after another limp forward display in the 2-0 defeat by Brentford on Saturday.
Toney is keen to come back firing as he targets a recall to the England squad for Euro 2024.
Mauricio Pochettino wants to put his faith in young players such as Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja, but Chelsea have lacked a focal point in attack and Toney’s link-up play could help bring together a forward line for a team that has managed just 13 goals in 10 Premier League games.
While £58m summer signing Christopher Nkunku is set to return from his knee injury soon, Chelsea will lose Jackson to the Africa Cup of Nations, which starts on January 13.
Chelsea retain an interest in Victor Osimhen but a January move for the Napoli striker is unlikely.
The Blues have identified Toney as one of their main forward targets and are willing to move away from their transfer policy of signing players under the age of 25.
His aerial prowess is attractive to both Chelsea and Arsenal, with only Luton, Everton and Manchester United putting more crosses into the box this season than the two London clubs. Brentford head coach Thomas Frank would like to keep Toney, at least until the end of the season, but the club wants to ensure he is in peak physical condition in January, which will be their last chance to bank a big fee for a player they signed from Peterborough for £5m in 2020.
After four months of fitness work at home with a personal trainer following his ban in May, Toney returned to first-team training on September 18 and has been put on a bespoke 16-week training programme at the club’s base.
He is allowed to play in behind-closed-doors friendlies and is keen to come back firing as he targets a recall to the England squad for Euro 2024 next summer. The first Brentford game Toney will be available for is the Premier League match at home to Nottingham Forest on January 20.
But whether he will still be a Brentford player at that point is unclear.
