HEY TO BEE
Lewis-Potter: Toney is terrific, I don‘t need to look up to see where he is. You put it in the box & he’s always in the right place
KEANE LEWIS-POTTER is backing Ivan Toney to fire Brentford to Premier League safety following the striker’s eight-month ban.
Toney has plundered four goals in six matches for the Bees since returning to action last month.
His presence has lifted the spirits of the Londoners, who are just five points clear of the relegation zone.
But Lewis-Potter believes that Toney, who has been linked with a transfer to one of the Premier League’s elite, is still underrated by some people, despite averaging a goal every other game in the top flight.
He said: “There’s a lot of talk about Ivan but people underrate him for how good he is. He’s got everything.
“As someone who plays out wide, I don’t really need to look up when I put the ball in the box because I just know he’s going to be in the right place.
“His goal record in the Premier League speaks for itself. He’s a top player.
“He’s a good lad, too. He’s one of those personalities who gels everyone together in the changing room.”
The absence of influential players like Toney has hit Brentford hard this year.
And while that’s opened the door for Lewis-Potter, who is just one game shy of doubling his league appearances from last year, he feels that hasn’t been taken into account.
He adds: “It’s been tougher for us this year but one of the biggest reasons for that is injuries. “People always talk about the big clubs being hit with injuries. No one’s really looked at us and what we’ve had to deal with.
“There’s only one person in the team who’s not had an injury this season.
“We’ve been hit really hard and results are always going to turn when you’ve got big players missing every week.”
Lewis-Potter came through the Hull City academy and quickly established himself as the Tigers’ main man after Jarrod Bowen was snapped up by West Ham in 2020.
The 23-year-old has followed a similar career path to Bowen after landing a dream Premier League switch of his own in the summer of 2022.
Bowen has elevated his game to new heights since then and is likely to be Brentford’s biggest threat when they meet the Hammers tonight.
Lewis-Potter and Bowen have remained in touch since their days on Humberside and the Bees forward is hoping to get one over on the England star at the London Stadium.
“All the young boys who came through at Hull together are very close.
“Playing with him for a bit and training with him for even longer was great.
“Fair play to him, he’s done so well at West Ham.
“It’s tough moving from Hull to a London club. It’s a completely different world.”
WEST HAM: Areola, Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson, Alvarez, Soucek, Bowen, Ward-Prowse, Kudus, Antonio
BRENTFORD: Flekken, Jorgensen, Ajer, Mee, Roerslev, Onyeka, Jensen, Janelt, Reguilon, Toney, Maupay
REF: Simon Hooper TV: 8pm Sky Sports
It’s been tougher this year but the biggest reason for that is injuries