Ivan Toney has stated his desire to “play for a top club” and said that could happen this month, comments that represent something of a U-turn by the striker after he expressed a need to “repay” Brentford for standing by him during his eight-month suspension for breaching gambling regulations.

Toney is free to play for Brentford again after his ban, imposed by the Football Association in May after the 27-year-old accepted 232 breaches of the FA’s rules on betting, expired on Wednesday. He is set to be in the team that faces Nottingham Forest on Saturday and, prior to that, expressed his gratitude to the west London club for standing by him during his exile from football. “Everyone knows Brentford is a family club, they have been nothing but amazing for me,” he said in an interview with Sky Sports last week. “I can’t thank them enough, especially the fans. They were behind me from the first minute. So it’s kind of like I have a lot to repay.”

However, speaking again to Sky Sports, Toney displayed rather less loyalty to his current employers, making clear that he is open to a transfer away from the Gtech Community Stadium during the current transfer window. The England international has been linked with moves to both Arsenal and Chelsea.

“You can never predict when is the right time to move elsewhere,” he said. “It’s obvious I’d like to play for a top club, everybody wants to play for the top clubs, fighting for titles and these kinds of things. So whether it’s this January for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows? But my main focus is doing what I do on the pitch and let the background work take care of itself.”