Thomas Frank has admitted Brentford’s 5-1 win at Luton last Saturday could potentially show what life might be like after Ivan Toney.
Toney has scored 72 goals and registered 22 assists in 137 games for Brentford since joining from Peterborough United in 2020, and has captained the Bees on occasion this season since returning from his eight-month betting ban.
The England striker has been heavily linked with a number of top clubs throughout this season, and after staying at Brentford in January is expected to leave the Bees in the summer.
Toney missed Brentford’s 5-1 win over relegation-threatened Luton on Saturday as other attacking players came to the fore in his stead.
Asked whether that match may have shown him what life after Toney might look like, Frank replied: “Yeah, potentially. Let’s see what’s happening with Ivan; right now he’s a Brentford player.
“Right now, it’s important to see the quality we have in the squad. Keane Lewis-Potter, [Yoane] Wissa and Bryan [Mbeumo] look very good, and we still have a Kevin Schade who is still progressing to full fitness. It was promising.”
The Brentford manager reflected on the performance against Luton, saying: “I said to the players on Monday that I think it was a statement win in many ways. There have been a few over the years.
“I felt we were in complete control. We gave nothing away [despite] all the threat we know Luton could throw at us. We were such a threat going forward, so extremely satisfied with that performance.”
The Bees visit Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday and could fall below them into 16th if they lose to Sean Dyche’s side, who stunned title-chasing Liverpool in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday night.
“I thought Everton were very impressive”, Frank said of the Toffees’ performance in that 2-0 win.
“I think they’ve been consistently quite good throughout the season. They make it difficult for teams and are such a threat from set pieces. I know at Goodison it’s going to be difficult.”
Toney has missed Brentford’s last two matches through injury but scored in a small-sided game this week and is believed to be in contention to face Everton on Saturday.
