COVID-19 causes Brentford to block Marcus Forss loan exit amid West Brom links
A return to West Brom in January for Brentford striker Marcus Forss looks unlikely at this stage, according to The Athletic.
Forss, 22, is reportedly wanted by the Baggies on a loan deal in January, with Brentford said to be ready to grant him a temporary exit, as reported by Football League World on Wednesday (15 December).
However, writing for The Athletic on Thursday (16 December), Stuart James claims the Bees have now, for the time being, blocked the Finland forward’s exit.
James wrote: “A number of Championship teams are looking at Marcus Forss, but it is understood that door has temporarily been closed — Ivan Toney has been sidelined with COVID-19 and Forss came off the bench against Watford last Friday.”
Late January bid?
There are still more than two weeks to go until the January transfer window opens but Brentford seem to be reluctant to countenance the thought of imminently agreeing to a loan exit for Forss.
Star striker Toney has missed their last two matches due to COVID-19 and he may be lacking fitness when he does come back.
Yoanne Wissa was given the nod to start alongside Bryan Mbuemo in their 2-1 win against Watford last Friday (10 December) but he has only recently returned from injury himself.
Therefore, it’s understandable that the Bees may want to wait a while until deciding on Forss’ future.
He has only played six times in the Premier League this season, failing to score, but he hit five goals in three League Cup outings before Tottenham Hotspur knocked them out of the competition.
Forss joined the West Brom academy at the age of 13 in 2012 and spent five years in the West Midlands before leaving for Brentford’s B team in 2017.
In other West Brom news, two Albion stars have been ruled out of Friday’s clash at Barnsley but a couple are set to break free from isolation.
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