Arsenal and Chelsea sent Ivan Toney transfer reminder after surprise Brentford moment

Chelsea and Arsenal transfer target Ivan Toney has been defended for his form by Brentford teammate Christian Norgaard following the striker's blank against Fulham at the weekend.

The Bees failed to break down Marco Silva's side on Saturday, meaning Thomas Frank's side have won just two games of their last 13 games. Toney himself has struggled to replicate his form from previous seasons after returning from his ban for gambling offences.

After scoring four goals in his first five games back, the England international has managed just one assist in the following 10 games. Toney has been linked with a big-money move in the summer, with Chelsea said to be keen and Arsenal previously expected to make a move.

football.london do, though, understands that the Gunners will target a different profile of player to Toney, meaning Mauricio Pochettino's men are favourites to sign the 28-year-old.

However, Toney's form of late has seen the initial hype around him die down ahead of the summer transfer window. At the weekend, the striker was the subject of criticism from Brentford supporters after seeming to look disinterested.

Frank's decision to leave the striker on the pitch, taking off Mikkel Damsgaard and Keane Lewis-Potter instead, was met with a brief chorus of boos. However, Norsgaard has defended Toney, pointing towards the striker's commitment to the club.

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«I didn't notice any boos, so I don't know if they were maybe directed at the whole team,» he said. «We as a team couldn't score and we needed to create more.

»He (Toney) deserves a lot of