The Brentford club management is in a split. Top scorer Ivan Toney may be suspended for breaking the betting rules and so the transfer market is being looked at with specific requirements.
The actions on the gambling market took place between February 25, 2017 and January 23, 2021, the BBC reports. In that time frame, Toney was under contract with four different clubs: Scunthorpe United, Wigan Athletic, Peterborough United and Brentford. With Brentford, Toney went to the Premier League, where he proved to be a sensation.
It earned Toney a place in England’s pre-selection for the World Cup in Qatar. However, national coach Gareth Southgate left him at home, according to various British media, also because of the gambling scandal that was hanging over his head.
Cases of Kieran Trippier and Joey Barton
Football players in England are prohibited by law from betting on matches or sharing information about matches with others. International Kieran Trippier was suspended for ten weeks in 2020 because he shared information with friends. So that they had bet money on his transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to Atlético Madrid.
In the somewhat comparable case of Joey Barton (the former midfielder bet on more than a thousand games), a suspension of no less than five months followed. Now Brentford fears the worst. Sky Sports describes the difficult situation of the current number ten in the Premier League.
“The options are limited due to the specific requirements they have in this unique circumstance. The club need someone with Premier League experience who can jump-start Brentford’s mid-table status. But the club doesn’t know how long Toney will be suspended, so it will be a challenge to convince such a striker with only a short period of certainty on playing time,” the report read.
Toney scored ten goals in the Premier League in the first half of the season. Only Harry Kane (12) and Erling Haaland (18) scored more goals.
