Hell Bent on scoring more (Video)
Darren Bent is certainly a proven goal getter but is his time up at Villa Park set for an early end?
Bent moved to Aston Villa in January 2011 for £18 million, potentially rising to £24 million, following a remarkable 18 months at Sunderland in which the former Charlton, Ipswich and Tottenham man scored 36 goals in 63 games.
Leaving the Stadium of Light was not the only big fee Bent has ever commanded in his career, Tottenham Hotspur paid Charlton £16.5 million and then Spurs then recouped their money when Bent moved to the north east for the same fee, having risen from an initial £10 million.
Darren Bent’s name may become synonymous with a few big money moves but he has always repaid the clubs with finding the back of the net with regular occurrence, only Spurs failed to see the best of Bent having scored 25 goals in 79 games although the stats show a record few strikers would turn their noses up at.
Now, however, Bent is hitting a difficult patch in his career. The striker’s season was curtailed early last campaign due to an ankle injury which forced Bent to miss Euro 2012 with England.
On return to fitness with Aston Villa for the start of the season, under new manager Paul Lambert, Bent was quickly displaced in the starting XI by young Belgian striker Christian Benteke who had been recruited in the summer transfer window.
The England striker has now been ruled out of the packed Chrsitmas period and speculation of a move away from Villa Park is endless.
With regular first team football the only cure for Bent to retain full fitness a move may well have to be on the cards.
Sam Jewell
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