Brentford are aiming to try and secure automatic promotion to the Premier League this season in what will be an intense battle between themselves and both Watford and Swansea City.

One player who could potentially prove to be the major difference for the Bees is Ivan Toney, with the forward having been arguably the division’s best performing player so far this term. The 24-year-old has thrived since his £5 million transfer from Peterborough United in the summer. He has fired in 25 goals and nine assists in 33 appearances (Sofascore).

That form has unsurprisingly seen him attract the interests of a host of sides, with West Ham having previously been linked with a potential move for the 24-year-old in the summer. However, it is now being reported that both Arsenal and Leeds United have also joined the list of clubs chasing his signature when the transfer window re-opens.

The Bees will obviously want to do all they can to keep hold of him. However, here we take a look at some of the potential impacts his departure might have if he does move on…

Brentford’s scouts to be on the lookout for next bargain signing

Out of all the clubs in the Championship, Brentford’s scouting ability when it comes to forward players appears to be the most accurate and the most profitable. Were Toney to move on in the summer he would likely do so for maybe four or five times the value that he was signed for from Peterborough last summer.

The Bees have also made significant profits on both Ollie Watkins and Neal Maupay in the last few transfer windows. Those three forwards all found the net over 20 times for Brentford in the Championship in a single campaign. That is a remarkable record that few other clubs could achieve with three different strikers in such a short time.

Brentford’s scouts will likely already have been trying to identify the next player to bring in for when Toney is eventually poached. That is the Bees’ model and it is one that is working very well for them. Whoever they signed as the forward’s potential replacement there would be confidence that it would be someone who could replicate Toney’s form.

Thomas Frank may need to find more goals from elsewhere

Were Toney to move on and Brentford brought in a striker that did not prove to be able to fill the goal-scoring void, then Frank would potentially need to make some adjustments to the side to help get more goals from other attacking players.

The Bees’ next highest scorers so far this campaign in the Championship are both Josh Dasilva and Marcus Forss on seven apiece. Then next comes Sergi Canos on six, with no other player having scored more than four. Out of those players, Forss is the one best placed you feel to come into the side and make a real difference for them.

Forss has shown signs that he can be a very good finisher in and around the box and he has a 67% shot conversion rate this term, compared with Toney’s 51%. That means that if he is given more game time upfront he might well prove to be just as prolific as the 24-year-old.