Brentford striker Ivan Toney celebrated the conclusion of his eight-month football ban with a social media post declaring his newfound freedom.
Now eligible to play for the Bees, 27-year-old Toney served a suspension for violating Football Association gambling rules.
Toney boasts a record of 32 goals in 64 Premier League games for Brentford.
“It’s like signing a Premier League striker who can score 20 goals because he’s proved it,” said Bees manager Thomas Frank of Toney’s return.
“Every team would be happy to sign a quality player like him. Ivan is a top player but he’s also very good at making the whole team better.”
Toney has been absent from competitive matches since May 6, 2023, due to 262 violations of the FA’s betting regulations, resulting in an eight-month ban from all football activities.
Despite being the subject of transfer interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, Toney is poised to make his return for Brentford on Saturday as they take on Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
“If Ivan can write it his way, no doubt he would like to come back, do fantastically well and give something back,” said Frank after Tuesday’s FA Cup third round replay defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“He missed playing football, missed being part of the team. It’s a team he’s really enjoying being part of, with some good mates, enjoying their football together, enjoying playing for Brentford and for the fans.”
If the replay at Molineux, which Brentford lost 3-2, had been held 24 hours later, Frank suggested he would have played Toney, joking that he is an “okay” player.
As part of his preparation for a comeback in competitive matches, Toney netted a hat-trick for Brentford’s B team in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Southampton Under-23s. Additionally, last Saturday, he showcased his skills by scoring a Panenka penalty in a friendly match against the Danish side Brondby.
“I have a lot to repay them and I can’t wait to try and do that,” Toney told Sky Sports recently, when discussing the support the club had shown him during his time away from the pitch.