0915 – DONE DEAL – In League Two, high-flying Wrexham have signed Luke Bolton from Salford, with the defender joining for an undisclosed fee.
0900 – DONE DEAL – There has been a flurry of early activity.
Nottingham Forest have bolstered their squad, bringing in striker Rodrigo Ribeiro on loan from Sporting Lisbon, while Brighton’s Mahmoud Dahoud has joined Stuttgart on loan for the rest of the season.
0845 – There could be some departures at West Ham today, with Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals linked with moves.
Lyon are said to be keen on Algeria forward Benrahma, while Real Betis have been linked with Fornals.
0830 – Some deals were done the evening before transfer deadline day, with Nottingham Forest bringing in United States midfielder Giovanni Reyna on loan from Borussia Dortmund until the end of the season.
Elsewhere, Facundo Pellistri made a loan switch away from Manchester United on Wednesday night, joining Granada for the rest of the season.
0815 – Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic seem likely to add to their squad on deadline day.
They are closing in on the loan signing of Norwich striker Adam Idah, with the 22-year-old Republic of Ireland international reportedly arriving in Glasgow on Wednesday to seal his move to the Hoops until the end of the season.
0750 – Crystal Palace also look set to sign a player from the Championship today, with Blackburn midfielder Adam Wharton said to be close to swapping Lancashire for South London.
Palace have reportedly agreed a fee of £18million plus £4m for Wharton, who could sign a five-and-a-half-year deal at Selhurst Park.
0730 – Aston Villa are expected to strengthen their squad before the window slams shut.
Middlesbrough winger Morgan Rogers is the man they want, and the deal could be worth £16million.
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0715 – Welcome to the PA news agency’s live transfer deadline day blog.
The winter transfer window closes this evening at 11pm for Premier League and EFL clubs while it is 11.30pm for teams in Scotland.
There are plenty of deals in the pipeline, with Fulham linked with a deadline-day loan move for Chelsea striker Armando Broja and Rangers expected to complete the signing of Colombian winger Oscar Cortes on loan from Lens.
Evangelos Marinakis believes Premier League chief executive Richard Masters did not speak appropriately when appearing to describe Nottingham Forest and Everton as “small clubs” at a parliamentary hearing.
Masters, under questioning at the Culture, Media and Sport Committee two weeks ago, was criticised after seeking to justify the league’s profit and sustainability rules to MPs.
Asked whether “big clubs” were treated differently under the rules, with deliberation over the 115 charges levelled against Premier League champions Manchester City ongoing, Masters said: “The standard directions (on PSR) are for everybody, they’re not just for the small clubs.”
Forest owner Marinakis responded to those comments at the racial and gender equity in European football conference being hosted by his club.
“I think that was not appropriate,” Marinakis said. “I think it was a bit careless. I think that Nottingham Forest and Everton are very big clubs and maybe are bigger than the ones that we consider today big clubs.
“Big team and small teams is maybe not an appropriate expression.”
At the same conference Thierry Henry, Lilian Thuram, Viv Anderson and Anthony Elanga joined other prominent footballers in signing a pledge to committing themselves to publicly push for racial equality in football.
The statement comes after players and Harvard academics discussed how to further anti-discriminatory aims and references recent cases of racist abuse faced by black professionals involving AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan and Coventry midfielder Kasey Palmer.
Henry said the onus must be put on to football’s governing bodies to make change, saying: “Sometimes you have the sense that the players on the field are alone.”
Gabriel Jesus has vowed to make scoring goals his priority after inspiring Arsenal to a 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest.
The Brazil forward, who shook off a knee injury to play in the game, opened the scoring in the 65th minute and then laid on a second for Bukayo Saka seven minutes later.
Jesus has had questions asked of him after scoring 19 goals in 56 games in all competitions since his £45million move from Manchester City in summer 2022, but he has been a creative force, registering 12 assists in that time.
The 26-year-old, who has scored 73 Premier League goals in total, now wants to concentrate on adding to that tally.
“Sometimes it is all about stats and sometimes it is all about watching the game,” he said. “Let’s go, come on.
“If you watch the game, you see me playing… I am close to 100 in the Premier League – that’s not easy.
“Then in the Champions League I am scoring a lot, in the national team I score. Sometimes, like I say, I am not focused on that (scoring goals) and that’s I think my mistake.
“So now, I think I change my mindset and I will be in the box more – and I try everything to score.”
Jesus is also working on keeping positive after missing chances – something he did at the City Ground as he scored moments after hitting the post.
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“Also I am changing my mindset, I think I am more focused on the game now,” he said. “Before, when I miss one or two chances (I may have got disheartened)… I think that was not the case today.
“I think I created and my team gave me the ball – it was amazing – and I hit the post. I think it was more unlucky than a miss, but I keep trying.
“A minute after, I create another one and I miss the time to shoot, but I keep working, I keep trying, I keep focused on the game.
“I try to find another way to score and it worked. Sometimes it is all about this. Keep trying and then it works.”
Jesus earned the praise of boss Mikel Arteta for his desire to play in the game despite a knee problem.
“Gabi started to win the game two days ago,” the Spaniard said. “He had an issue with his knee and everyone was trying to protect him and saying don’t go outside.
“But he was saying (matchday) -2, (matchday) -1, I want to be there I want to help the team to win the game. When you have that mentality, good things are going to happen. I’m really pleased with him.
“He got hit big time in the last game. His knee reacted and it’s the knee he had (surgery on) before. He was super positive, he’s feeling good and he was so sharp in training. I’m not surprised with the way he played.”
Forest grabbed a late consolation through Taiwo Awoniyi on his first appearance since November following groin surgery, the Nigeria striker having been introduced as a half-time replacement for the injured Chris Wood.
“His hamstring felt very tight,” head coach Nuno Espirito Santo said of the New Zealand international. “There was a big risk of injury. He was not feeling OK to continue, so that’s why we made the change.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta “loved” seeing Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko clash with each other at the end of his side’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners were cruising to an easy three points at the City Ground after second-half goals from Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka but endured a nervy ending when Taiwo Awoniyi capitalised on a defensive mistake to give Forest a lifeline.
They saw out the victory which closed the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool, but celebrations were cut short when White and Zinchenko had to be separated after arguing over the goal they conceded.
Arteta said: “I love it, they demand more from each other and they are not happy with the way they concede that and they are trying to resolve it.
“It was a bit heated, but that means it is not enough playing the way we played, the result has to be bigger.
“That’s pushing each other and being not happy conceding and I have to encourage that and promote it in the right way and a respectful way.
“Sometimes after the game it’s emotional and heated, but I love that the players are pushing each other and demanding excellence.”
The victory saw the Gunners exorcise the ghosts of last season when May’s 1-0 defeat at the City Ground saw their title challenge come to an end.
And Arteta was pleased to see his side put that right.
“I could feel it, they were talking about it coming to that dressing room,” he said. “It really reminds you, our brains and bodies are really intelligent and coming to the same situation they know what happened and they were really active and engaged and they were talking about the game with each other.
“I thought it was really good.
“I am really happy with the performance and the result. We saw what happened last year and we wanted to put it right, we wanted to generate some momentum in the league and I thought we did that.
“The performance was very good, we completely dominated the game. We had to be patient but we always had an eye to the opponent, we didn’t allow them to run.”
Awoniyi’s goal raised Forest’s hopes of snatching a draw, which would have been a steal considering they made no real attempt to win the match, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s pragmatic approach.
Defeat leaves them hovering precariously above the relegation zone, with the threat of a possible points deduction for breaching Premier League financial rules.
Boss Nuno said: “First half, we defended well. We were organised, compact and didn’t allow too many situations.
“Arsenal are a very good team in possession of the ball. We had to be patient and cover the right spaces in the wide areas.
“We were missing more possession of the ball. We should have had more possession; that was a negative. We were better in that aspect in the second half.
“We started the second half well and had good spells of possession. It was disappointing the way we conceded both goals.
“It was avoidable. We can avoid those situations.
“After we scored, there was a feeling we could have got something. We had a good 10-minute spell. But to sum up, we should have played better.”
Arsenal overcame a sluggish first-half performance to cut the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to two points after a 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners looked toothless in the first half, but rallied to register three big points thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka.
The result leaves them on the coattails of Liverpool, who can extend their lead back to five points against Chelsea on Wednesday night.
Forest had no intention of going for the win in a pragmatic approach deployed by Nuno Espirito Santo, but they made a game of it late on as Taiwo Awoniyi slammed home in the 89th minute.
Arsenal saw it out to end a three-game losing streak at the City Ground and exorcise the ghosts of last season’s defeat, which saw their title challenge come to an end.
Forest’s situation at the foot of the Premier League is looking precarious, as they sit two points above the relegation zone with the threat of a points deduction for breaking financial rules hanging over them.
It is not in Nuno’s make-up to play an expansive game and his plan was to put men behind the ball and ask Arsenal the question of whether they could break them down.
The first half provided an answer of a resounding no, as for all their possession and territorial advantage the Gunners lacked a cutting edge to trouble Forest.
They had seven shots on target but none of them tested their former team-mate Matt Turner in the Forest goal, with Saka’s snapshot which deflected off Murillo and just wide the nearest they came to breaking the deadlock in the opening 45 minutes.
Forest offered next to nothing as an attacking force, registering just one pass in the final third in the opening half-hour, with Danilo’s drive over the crossbar from distance their only real foray forward.
The Gunners began to turn the screw after the second half and put Forest’s goal under serious threat for the first time.
Turner was forced into his first save when he palmed away Saka’s deflected effort with a strong hand before their best moment came four minutes later.
An intricate move involving Saka and Martin Odegaard led to Jesus being played in but he smashed his effort from a narrow angle into a post.
Eventually Arsenal’s pressure told as they took the lead in the 65th minute, though Turner will not want to see it again.
Forest switched off from Zinchenko’s throw-in and Jesus burst to the byline where his toe-poked shot went through Turner’s legs and into the back of the net.
Turner has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after a number of high-profile mistakes, but has been backed by Nuno, himself a former goalkeeper, though this may change things.
It was 2-0 seven minutes later after a breakaway goal. Gonzalo Montiel fluffed a clearance on the halfway line, skewing straight to Odegaard, who set Jesus free and he picked out Saka at the far post, with the England international making no mistake.
Forest had rarely threatened but Awoniyi, making his first appearance since November, converted after William Saliba’s mistake late on, though they could find a leveller.
Nuno Espirito Santo believes Nottingham Forest have taken a “big step” after a goalless FA Cup draw at Bristol City produced the first clean sheet of his City Ground reign.
Forest must fit a fourth-round replay into their busy schedule after drawing 0-0 with the mid-table Sky Bet Championship side at Ashton Gate.
But boss Nuno focused on the positives after a first clean sheet in his seven games at Forest, saying: “It was a good performance with two different parts.
“The first half was not so good, the second half much better. First half we did not control our pressure, we allowed too many balls inside and they created some problems for us.
“Second half we controlled the game, we dominated and did not allow chances.
“So that’s a big step for us to have a clean sheet. Something we are constantly looking for.
“We created chances in the second half but could not finish. So let’s now go for the second leg because Bristol City is a good team.”
Forest return to Premier League action at home to Arsenal on Tuesday, in 16th place and just four points above the relegation zone.
In what had been a hectic start since replacing Steve Cooper last month, Nuno had seen his Forest side score 14 goals and concede 11 in six games.
“This will definitely help us,” said the Portuguese. “Since we arrived we have not been able to keep a clean sheet.
“Conceding goals is something that has caused too many problems for us. Every game we score two or three goals, but we are conceding too much.
“I told the boys this is our first objective in the game, defend well and keep clean sheets because we have quality and talent to solve the game.
“As a team we must always look to defend well, be compact and not allow chances.”
Bristol City had beaten West Ham in a third-round replay and Ashton Gate was packed to the rafters again in the hope of witnessing another upset.
Forest had the only two attempts on target but there was no lack of endeavour from the Robins – who are 13th in the Championship – and they did cause moments of danger.
City head coach Liam Manning said: “The lads are actually quite frustrated in the changing room, a little bit disappointed.
“I get that and I quite like that, because the intensity, the competitiveness and the bravery we showed – especially in the first half – I thought was excellent.
“We missed a bit of composure around the box, that bit of conviction and cool head you need.
“But it’s another experience ticked off with a lot of positives.
“We’ve got another game now, but it’s a great opportunity and great experience to go up there and test ourselves again.”
Bristol City and Nottingham Forest fought out a goalless FA Cup draw and will replay their fourth-round tie at the City Ground.
Forest will be glad to avoid the fate West Ham suffered in the third round at Ashton Gate when the Sky Bet Championship side produced a memorable upset against Premier League opposition.
But Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will not welcome the extra game amid their battle to stay in the top flight.
Forest shaded the clearest openings during what was a pretty even affair but, in the end, had to settle for a rematch and the first clean sheet of Nuno’s seven-game reign.
City – 13th in the Championship and 17 places below Forest in the football pyramid – fielded 10 of the team that started the West Ham win, with Jason Knight replacing Joe Williams in the Robins’ midfield.
Forest were unchanged from the side that lost a five-goal Premier League thriller at Brentford last weekend.
There was heartening news on the bench as the influential Morgan Gibbs-White returned following a two-game injury lay-off, and the England Under-21 international came on at half-time to good effect.
City, roared on by another capacity crowd, began on the front foot and Tommy Conway was snuffed out twice by Andrew Omobamidele.
Conway was the hero against the Hammers, scoring in both games, but the young striker missed the target from 10 yards when unmarked, side-footing Anis Mehmeti’s cross wide.
Forest had carried little attacking threat in the opening quarter, apart from Nuno Tavares curling a free-kick in to the side-netting.
But the visitors did force the only save of the first half after 28 minutes, with Ryan Yates firing straight at Max O’Leary in the home goal.
City continued to probe but were almost caught by a swift raid moments before the interval.
Chris Wood led the breakout and fed Callum Hudson-Odoi, who pulled the ball back for the onrushing Danilo to hit the hoarding behind the goal.
Knight headed over Taylor Gardner-Hickman’s corner in first-half stoppage time, but Gibbs-White’s arrival gave Forest more fluidity when building attacks.
Gibbs-White almost made an instant impact with a header that was blocked and it was the midfielder’s lofted pass which saw Wood nod tamely at O’Leary.
City responded with Cameron Pring crossing to the far post and Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner shovelling the ball behind under pressure from Knight.
Robins substitute Sam Bell saw Murillo’s midriff get in the way of a powerful attempt, while Hudson-Odoi should have done better than find the side-netting after Gibbs-White had driven at the heart of the home defence.
When Pring ended a swift City counter-attack by rippling the side-netting and Danilo fluffed his line from a free-kick, the tie was destined to be replayed.
Nottingham Forest have been told by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that VAR did not have power to disallow Brentford’s controversial free-kick for Brentford last week.
Forest wrote to the match officials’ governing body as well as the Premier League after Toney scored when he moved the ball from the spot designated in vanishing spray by referee Darren England and even moved some of the spray to the new spot.
Forest wanted answers, including whether VAR could intervene and why the referee did not spot it.
“We have received a response from the incident, it is clear that the law says VAR cannot do anything about ball displacement,” boss Nuno Espirito Santo said.
“I think that is something they should look at because it changes the reality of the game. But at the same time, we also have responsibility because we should have said something and avoided the free-kick to be taken.
“Too bad that the referee didn’t spot it or the linesman. The referee should have seen it because there is a mark and there is clear ball displacement. It is finished, we move forward.”
Forest are back in action on Friday night when they head to Bristol City in the FA Cup fourth round.
They still have a raft of injuries with Taiwo Awoniyi, Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, Divock Origi and Felipe all out while six players are at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Three of those could be returning imminently, depending on results elsewhere, as Ivory Coast did not quality automatically from their group.
Either way, they will not be involved at Ashton Gate.
“We have to wait, the decision is today, it could happen,” Nuno said. “There are a couple of scenarios that could happen. Let’s wait and then we will decide the moment they will return. Friday is very difficult I think.
“Nothing has changed with injuries. Let’s see, but nothing has changed. The scenario is the same, there is no hiding we are short on offensive options because the players that are out are offensive players.
“We will see, we will decide tomorrow the team and gameplan.”
Clubs’ desire to avoid tough sanctions for financial rule breaches could be a big factor in the spectacular drop in Premier League transfer spending this month, a football finance expert has said.
Financial services firm Deloitte has told the PA news agency that by January 23 last year £435million had been spent by the 20 top-flight clubs – 10 times more than by the same date this year.
Spending reached a record £815m by the end of the January 2023 window, but so far this month Tottenham’s purchase of Romania defender Radu Dragusin from Genoa for a reported £26.7m is one of a small number of permanent deals to have been completed, with loan moves dominating.
The relative quiet comes following a 10-point deduction imposed on Everton in November by an independent commission for breaching the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). The commission found the club had acted “irresponsibly” and concluded they “overspent”, largely on the purchase of new players.
Everton expect to learn the outcome of their appeal against that sanction by the end of next month, but were referred to an independent commission again earlier this month, along with Nottingham Forest this time, for breaching PSR in the period ending last season. Those cases should be resolved before the end of this season under a new fast-track process agreed by the clubs.
Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, told PA: “It would be remiss not to talk about the impact (on transfer spending) of some of the regulatory moves that the Premier League has made and the independent bodies that work with the Premier League have made to really focus on how the Premier League is governed.
“You look at what’s happened with Everton, you look at what’s happened with Nottingham Forest, obviously there are ongoing investigations with other clubs as well.
“That will, I expect, have driven an underlying caution and also a real need to ensure that any value in the transfer market is as good as it possibly can be.”
Bridge did not rule out a “late flurry” of activity in the final week of the window but added: “I do think that some of those deals that maybe we’re used to seeing earlier in the window are either not being considered because of the regulatory challenge and the need to be compliant, which is a good thing, but also that element of the selling club really wanting to make sure that it drives the absolute value (of their players).”
VAR could not intervene to disallow Ivan Toney’s free-kick for Brentford against Nottingham Forest on Saturday because the protocol for using the technology does not cover restarts.
Forest are understood to have written to Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and the Premier League asking for clarification regarding Toney’s goal.
The Brentford forward moved the ball to the right of the spot designated in vanishing spray by referee Darren England before he took the set-piece, and even moved some of the spray to the new spot.
Toney’s actions could have been deemed as unsporting behaviour and worthy of a yellow card if the officials had spotted it, but the VAR Michael Salisbury was unable to intervene under the protocol laid down by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which sets the laws of the game.
Under the VAR protocols published on the IFAB website, it states that VAR may only consider clear and obvious errors in relation to goals, the awarding of penalties, straight red cards and mistaken identity.
When a goal is scored or disallowed, the IFAB protocol states that only the following can be considered: an “attacking team offence in the build-up to or scoring of the goal (handball, foul, offside etc)”, and the ball being out of play prior to the goal.
Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo said after the match: “The law is clear – every situation that leads to a goal must be checked. It’s not even a matter of inches, it’s almost a yard.”
Toney’s goal was his first since his return from an eight-month gambling ban and helped Thomas Frank’s men leapfrog their opponents in the Premier League table.
PGMOL has not yet commented on the incident.
Nottingham Forest have asked for an explanation from the Premier League and referees’ body PGMOL over Ivan Toney’s controversial free-kick that helped Brentford to a 3-2 win in west London on Saturday.
Toney moved the referee’s vanishing foam and shifted the ball to a more advantageous position before scoring from the set-piece, leading to complaints from Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo after the game.
The PA news agency understands that Forest have now written to both bodies demanding to know whether Toney’s actions, which the player himself insisted were legal, actually constituted foul play.
Forest want clarification on whether players are allowed to move the ball in such a manner prior to a set-piece and, if not, why VAR officials were not able to intervene.
Nuno rejected Toney’s claim after the game and added: “The law is clear – every situation that leads to a goal must be checked. It’s not even a matter of inches, it’s almost a yard.”
Toney’s goal was his first since his return from an eight-month gambling ban and helped Thomas Frank’s men leapfrog their opponents in the Premier League table.
Ivan Toney claimed he knew he would score and Brentford would win upon his return from his eight-month exile.
The striker, banned from football since May for breaching betting rules, was back on the scoresheet for the first time in 267 days in the 3-2 Premier League home win over Nottingham Forest.
Toney struck with an audacious free-kick to thrust himself back into the spotlight for the right reasons.
“It was a long time coming,” he told Sky Sports. “I manifested this win when I was at home during the time I was out, I am here now and buzzing to be back scoring goals and winning with the team.
“I knew this would happen. I manifest things like this. Before I left my house I thought ‘we’re winning today and I’m scoring’. And I made it happen.”
Danilo volleyed Forest into a third-minute lead before Orel Mangala gave away a free-kick on the edge of the area.
Only one player was going to take it, and just as Toney had when he scored in the corresponding fixture last season – his last goal before the ban – the 27-year-old nonchalantly stroked the free-kick around the wall and inside Matt Turner’s left-hand post.
Forest captain Ryan Yates was furious with Turner for not spotting the gap that Toney found, although no one noticed the England forward subtly rolling the ball a few inches to the right as the keeper was lining up his wall.
“Yeah, I saw the gap,” Toney added. “Sometimes you have a gap either way and I bent the ball around the wall and was happy to see it go in.”
But Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo felt the goal should not have stood.
“Ball displacement, and the law is clear,” he said. “Every goal must be checked. I don’t know if they checked or not.
“The players have to be a little bit mature as well because it changes the position of the ball. It’s a yard almost. But our players didn’t realise.”
Bees head coach Thomas Frank was blissfully unaware of the incident, and the law.
“I have no clue. I didn’t know that he did it,” said Frank. “He’s a clever player, what more can I say? He took it well and it’s in the back of the net.
“Classic Ivan. He loves the big stage and he thrives there. It’s extra impressive to come back after eight months and play the way he did, scoring a clever goal. Super impressive.”
Brentford went ahead in the 58th minute when Ben Mee got in front of his marker and headed home Mathias Jensen’s corner.
Seven minutes later Chris Wood glanced in a cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi for his fifth goal in four league matches under new boss Nuno.
But Toney was involved again when Brentford snatched the victory in the 70th minute, switching the play out to the right from where Jensen crossed for Neal Maupay to lash into the net and lift the Bees above their opponents and into 14th place.
Nuno added: “It was a good performance. I think we played well, we had good momentum, fighting spirit and togetherness. The result is frustrating but the performance was good.”
Ivan Toney claimed he knew he would score and Brentford would win upon his return from his eight-month exile.
The striker, banned from football since May for breaching betting rules, was back on the scoresheet for the first time in 267 days.
Toney struck with an audacious free-kick to thrust himself back into the spotlight for the right reasons.
“It was a long time coming,” he told Sky Sports. “I manifested this win when I was at home during the time I was out, I am here now and buzzing to be back scoring goals and winning with the team.
“I knew this would happen. I manifest things like this. Before I left my house I thought ‘we’re winning today and I’m scoring’. And I made it happen.”
Danilo volleyed Forest into a third-minute lead before Orel Mangala gave away a free-kick on the edge of the area.
Only one player was going to take it, and just as Toney had when he scored in the corresponding fixture last season – his last goal before the ban – the 27-year-old nonchalantly stroked the free-kick around the wall and inside Matt Turner’s left-hand post.
Forest captain Ryan Yates was furious with Turner for not spotting the gap that Toney found, although no one noticed the England forward subtly rolling the ball a few inches to the right as the keeper was lining up his wall.
“Yeah, I saw the gap,” Toney added. “Sometimes you have a gap either way and I bent the ball around the wall and was happy to see it go in.”
But Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo felt the goal should not have stood.
“Ball displacement, and the law is clear,” he said. “Every goal must be checked. I don’t know if they checked or not.
“The players have to be a little bit mature as well because it changes the position of the ball. It’s a yard almost. But our players didn’t realise.”
Bees head coach Thomas Frank was blissfully unaware of the incident, and the law.
“I have no clue. I didn’t know that he did it,” said Frank. “He’s a clever player, what more can I say? He took it well and it’s in the back of the net.
“Classic Ivan. He loves the big stage and he thrives there. It’s extra impressive to come back after eight months and play the way he did, scoring a clever goal. Super impressive.”
Brentford went ahead in the 58th minute when Ben Mee got in front of his marker and headed home Mathias Jensen’s corner.
Seven minutes later Chris Wood glanced in a cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi for his fifth goal in four league matches under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
But Toney was involved again when Brentford snatched the victory in the 70th minute, switching the play out to the right from where Jensen crossed for Neal Maupay to lash into the net and lift the Bees above their opponents and into 14th place.
Nuno added: “It was a good performance. I think we played well, we had good momentum, fighting spirit and togetherness. The result is frustrating but the performance was good.”
Ivan Toney marked his return from his eight-month exile with a goal to help Brentford to a thrilling 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.
The striker, banned from football since May for breaching betting rules, was back on the scoresheet for the first time in 267 days.
Named captain for the day, Toney struck with an audacious free-kick to cancel out Danilo’s opener for Forest and thrust himself back into the spotlight for the right reasons.
Ben Mee headed Brentford in front but Chris Wood equalised before Toney’s strike partner Neal Maupay found the net as Brentford celebrated their talisman’s comeback with a much-needed win after five successive Premier League defeats.
Not that this was ever likely to be a low-key return – there was even a digital billboard over the road from the Gtech Stadium flashing up a picture of Toney and the words ‘he’s back’.
Yet Forest threatened to ruin the party when they went ahead with less than three minutes gone.
Vitaly Janelt made a mess of a clearance, twice, and when Mee attempted to tidy up his header flew straight to Brazilian Danilo, who took a touch with his thigh before volleying past Bees keeper Mark Flekken.
But Toney, whose ban officially ended on Wednesday, hauled Brentford level in the 19th minute after Orel Mangala gave away a free-kick by pulling down Mikkel Damsgaard on the edge of the area.
Only one player was going to take it, and just as Toney had when he scored in the corresponding fixture last season – his last goal before the ban – the 27-year-old nonchalantly stroked the free-kick around the wall and inside Matt Turner’s left-hand post.
Forest captain Ryan Yates was furious with Turner for not spotting the gap that Toney found, although no one noticed the England forward subtly rolling the ball a few inches to the right as the keeper was lining up his wall.
The delight around the ground was palpable as Toney raced over to the touchline to celebrate with boss Thomas Frank and his coaching staff.
The Bees could have gone in ahead at half-time but Keane Lewis-Potter’s shot hit the crossbar.
Brentford’s pressure told in the 58th minute when Mee got in front of his marker and headed home Mathias Jensen’s corner.
Seven minutes later Wood glanced in a cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi for his fifth goal in four league matches under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
But Toney was involved again when Brentford snatched the victory in the 70th minute, switching the play out to the right from where Jensen crossed for Maupay to turn and lash the ball past Turner.
Brentford forward Ivan Toney has revealed his last bet was “years ago”, but does not currently have any interest in becoming a spokesperson on gambling addiction.
Toney will mark his return from an eight-month ban for breaching betting rules on Saturday when he captains Brentford in a Premier League home fixture with Nottingham Forest.
England international Toney has not played competitively since May after the Football Association handed the striker a lengthy ban, which was reduced after it was deemed the 27-year-old had a gambling addiction.
Asked when he placed his last bet, Toney told the Daily Mail: “Years ago. Yeah, so it’s all sorted now.
“You just look back and look at the money you’ve lost and what that could have gone towards. These kinds of things. But the more you do that, the more you drive yourself crazy.
“I literally couldn’t tell you (how much I’ve bet). The more I think about it, the more I dwell on the past. It will haunt you even more and pain you.
“I didn’t bet on anything else apart from football. Not really. Maybe a horse at the Cheltenham Festival but that was it. The past is the past, so why let it hurt you?”
Toney received a suspension after he admitted breaching 232 betting rules, but the investigation into his gambling occurred months earlier and he earned his maiden England cap while it was ongoing.
He had repeatedly stated his “goal” was to force his way back into England’s squad for the Euros.
While Toney would aim to hit the ground running, last season’s 20-goal hitman was wary of offering gambling advice, especially to Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali, who is serving a ban for breaching betting rules.
“I don’t want to preach to him. I’m glad he is being allowed to train with the team – that will be good for his mental health. I hope he is coping well and will come back stronger,” Toney added.
“Around the time I got banned. I wanted to keep myself to myself and be around my family more than trying to be out there being a spokesperson for all sorts of things. At the time, my head wasn’t really focused on doing those kinds of things.
“I might look more into it now. Then again, I don’t really want to be a kind of ‘feel-sorry-for-me, I’ve-been-through-it, listen-to-me kind of person’. That’s far from my personality and far from what I’d be trying to get across to people.
“At the time, I guess I accepted it. Those are the kind of things, you accept and move forward and sort things out, which I did and that’s all cleared now, so my main focus is steering away from that kind of rubbish and focus on playing well for the team and doing what I do best – which is concentrate on scoring goals and playing well.
“I want to own it and get on with it. I’ve done it. The punishment is done. It is what it is. You can’t change what’s done.”
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