Bent set to spearhead Aston Villa's revival
It's quite possibly the most shocking development of the transfer window so far, made even more remarkable by the fact it has pretty much come from nowhere - Darren Bent has handed in a transfer request at Sunderland after Aston Villa made an £18 million bid.
The reports being carried by Sky Sports News, since confirmed by Sunderland, are a huge surprise as Bent has always given the impression that he loves life in the north east and is grateful to the Black Cats for saving him for his Tottenham nightmare.
Perhaps it's motivated by the summer arrivals of Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck and their impressive form since preventing him from being the undisputed main man at the Stadium of Light, though as he appears fairly down to earth, that's an unlikely explanation.
Sunderland are 11 places and 12 points above Aston Villa, are heading upwards in stark contrast to Villa in recent months and have a realistic chance of qualifying for next year's Europa League, so besides a better pay packet or a falling out with someone on Wearside, it's difficult to see why a move to Villa Park would be more appealing.
Steve Bruce's side are currently priced at [4.1] to finish in the top six and boast a four-point advantage over closest adversaries Bolton and Stoke, whereas Aston Villa aren't much shorter just to make it into the top half at [3.1] in their first season since Martin O'Neill's departure.
Would Bent be making a mistake? Share your thoughts below...
Published: 17 Jan 2011
G Rhodes (January 17, 2011 5:28 PM) said:
The reason is simple if Welbeck is fit he has to play its in his (Loan) contract.
And from there body language it seems they dont get on.
And Aston Villa wont pay him any more money.