Villa Striker Has Fewest Premier League Touches

[KevinGage]

I'll refrain away from the McLeish basing for a bit to just ask...why oh why didn't we sign Bent at any time under MON?!

I think if we'd have him, we'd have got 4th in 2009 or 2010.

Probably because at no time during MON's stint would Bent have been available at a price that would have made MON keen.

We would never have been in the running when he moved to Tottingham for £18 million in 2007.  And in 2009 -when he moved to Sunderland-  he wanted guaranteed first team football after being in and out with the Spurs side, so even if we were prepared to match the £12/£13 mill Sunderland offered, it's far from certain he would have automatically pitched up here.  From the outside looking in, he would have had two England strikers and John Carew ahead of him in the pecking order. Sunderland was far less of a gamble in that regard.

I think the hope had been that Gabby would have become our Bent too- but quicker. That might still happen, should we get a bid we can't refuse for the latter.