West Ham United sent Ivan Toney transfer message by Thomas Frank
West Ham-linked Ivan Toney will be “expensive” for anyone who buys him this summer, according to Brentford manager Thomas Frank.
Speaking after Brentford’s pre-season friendly win over AFC Wimbledon, Frank warned interested clubs like the Hammers that any deal for Toney this summer certainly would not come cheap.
The Irons, Tottenham and Arsenal have all expressed interest in the 28-year-old, but despite Brentford bringing their asking price down from £80million [The Sun, 18 July], Frank still won’t let his striker leave on the cheap.
In quotes reported by TEAMtalk, Frank said: “I haven’t met a coach who doesn’t want as many good players as possible. Right now, Ivan is a Brentford player.
“I would be more than happy if he stayed with us. He’s a goalscorer and that’s very good to have in your team, so if you want to buy him, it’s expensive.”
Ivan Toney transfer would crown excellent window for West Ham
A centre-forward with proven Premier League ability has been high on the Irons’ agenda throughout this transfer window [Evening Standard, 9 July], and on top form, they don’t come much better than Toney.
Although he only managed four goals in 17 appearances last season following his return from a betting-related ban, Toney’s threat and style of play was enough to earn him an England call-up for Euro 2024.
The campaign prior, he finished as the league third-highest scorer behind only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane, showing that when he’s given the ammunition, Toney can be lethal against any and every defence.
So far this summer, many of the Irons’ transfer targets to fill their number nine vacancy have either little exposure at Premier League level like Alexander Sorloth [AS, 4 July], or aren’t used to a regular starting role, like Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran [Fabrizio Romano, 10 July].
Toney has ticked those boxes and then some, and although his fee would be a bracket above Sorloth and Duran’s, his track record when compared to the club’s other attacking targets cannot be understated.
In other West Ham news, the club face competition from Crystal Palace in their bid to sign an out-of-favour Arsenal winger.
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