Yesterday, Brentford striker Ivan Toney was banned from all footballing activities for eight months, after breaching Football Association betting rules – and it’s a situation that could actually now impact Wolves.
The England international has been hit heavy, receiving a worldwide sanction to prevent him even joining an overseas club on loan.
He has also been fined £50,000. This, after the player admitted to 232 breaches.
Toney’s ban is a massive blow for Brentford.
Since the Bees’ promotion to the Premier League in 2021, Toney has scored 32 goals in the competition. Brentford as a collective have scored 102, meaning he accounts for around a third of their total.
Today, talkSPORT have reported that Brentford are looking to bring in cover for Toney.
And one player they’re looking at is Viktor Gyokeres of Coventry City.
The Sweden international has enjoyed an amazing season, scoring 21 goals in the Championship and providing 10 assists.
And he has just helped the club make the play-off final against Luton Town.
This is significant because Gyokeres is a player that has become strongly linked with Wolves in recent weeks.
It had been claimed that Wanderers were leading the chase for the star.
But now Brentford will be without Toney until next January, so their need for a new number nine is very clear.
Wolves face potential fight to sign Viktor Gyokeres this summer, as Ivan Toney begins eight-month ban
So it looks like Brentford could be about to ramp up their efforts to sign Gyokeres.
There is surely no way they don’t act this summer, in light of Toney’s lengthy ban.
He’s a huge player for them. So the fact Thomas Frank can’t count on him for the foreseeable is very damaging for the club.
Wanderers are very interested in Gyokeres and may now need to act fast to sign him. Or lay the groundwork for a quick deal.
But there is also, of course, the possibility that Coventry could gain promotion to the Premier League.
Should that happen, you would imagine it will become even more difficult to land Gyokeres.