Darren Bent joins Fulham on loan (Reply #486)

[Ads]

Benteke is several times the player Bent will ever be.

Bent will leave us, potentially for a side that actually finished below us last year.

[midnite]

Bent is still contracted to us for another 2 years, so we're still paying him a fortune per week. He should be involved with the first team squad. What with being stripped of the captaincy, dropped and now banished from the squad - the treatment is pretty poor. He's not exactly kicked up a fuss or been disruptive has he? If he's not sold, we might just need him at some point - all you'll get now is someone who will not be motivated and their confidence will be shot to pieces.

But how do we know he's not being disruptive or having a Negative influence on the younger players. Just because it hasn't appeared in the papers doesn't mean something hasn't gone on between player and manager.

I agree with some of the others on here though, he's not part of the plans for the up and coming campaign. Why integrate him in with a new bunch of players when he won't be here. And if he is because no one else wants him, he's still off keeping fit and training, just not with the others. If his services are to be called upon it will be for what Darren bent can do. Which is get in the box and score a goal. You're not going to change how bent plays.

He'll be gone before the start of the season, he a good player, I wish him well but he's not for us any more.

[Matt C]

Aside from the sensationalist reporting you've seen elsewhere, here's a different take - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1692683-darren-bent-and-aston-villa-heading-for-a-messy-but-necessary-divorce

[garyshawsknee]

Benteke is several times the player Bent will ever be.

Bent will leave us, potentially for a side that actually finished below us last year.

And there's not many of them !

[PeterWithesShin]

Benteke is several times the player Bent will ever be.

Bent will leave us, potentially for a side that actually finished below us last year.

And there's not many of them !

There's even less that finished above us.

[Percy McCarthy]

Aside from the sensationalist reporting you've seen elsewhere, here's a different take - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1692683-darren-bent-and-aston-villa-heading-for-a-messy-but-necessary-divorce

Interesting comment at the bottom. Is the bloke suggesting Darren starts a new career?

[manic-road]

Aside from the sensationalist reporting you've seen elsewhere, here's a different take - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1692683-darren-bent-and-aston-villa-heading-for-a-messy-but-necessary-divorce

Bent heading for a messy divorce? Bloody hell he's only just got married.

[Californian Villain]

Aside from the sensationalist reporting you've seen elsewhere, here's a different take - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1692683-darren-bent-and-aston-villa-heading-for-a-messy-but-necessary-divorce

Interesting comment at the bottom. Is the bloke suggesting Darren starts a new career?

As a gamer? He'll probably make more money elsewhere.

[silhillvilla]

2/3rds of PL footballers are divorced within 2 years of retiring . Not sure this has anything to do with DB9 just throwing it out there.

[KevinGage]

By making him train on his own/with outcasts, we aren't exactly putting ourselves in the greatest bargaining position, in terms of commanding a transfer fee. I think he will go for around £6 mill. He has no sell on value. It might get driven up a bit by a bit of a bidding war, but I could see this one dragging out.

You just know he is going to score against us next year too.

My take on it too. 

You can't completely ostracise a player like that and then expect other clubs to stump up a reasonable fee.  They know he's not wanted, not part of the selling clubs plans and will bid accordingly. Even if he was shit (and he isn't) you don't make out to prospective buyers that thats how you see him.

How do we make a case that he's worth £8 million + if -at the same time- we're saying he's not even good enough for a team that narrowly avoided the drop last year?

In Bent's case, it would be no great hardship for us if he's still on the books by September 1st.  He still has plenty to offer, even if he is no longer 1st choice, and there have never been reports of him being a troublesome influence either with us or his previous clubs. 

[OCD]

They knew that he's not part of our plans anyway - he hardly played last season.

I take the point that it's harsh on him because he has been a good pro when others would have been mouthing off all the time.

I can see Lambert's perspective though. He wants to build the team unity with the players that will be playing together next season. That's not helped when there are some who don't expect to be here or don't want to be here.

It also helps to motivate them to move on when they get the chance. Someone who wants regular first team football won't be tempted to sit on their big pay check. That might be Bent and Hutton but probably not Ireland.

[eastie]

Experienced goalkeeper Shay Given has joined Darren Bent on the sidelines at Aston Villa.
The former Manchester City and Newcastle United keeper has returned to training with Paul Lambert's side but appears to no longer form part of the club's plans.
A handful of players, including Bent and Stephen Ireland, have been told that their futures at the Birmingham club are in doubt.

It seems that Given is among them after the veteran shot-stopper, 37, was informed that he will not be part of the party travelling to Germany for Villa's pre-season tour this summer.
The former Republic of Ireland man has three years still to run on a £3m-a-year salary.
And that means he is likely to be kicking his heels for some time, particularly as Villa boss Lambert added more depth to the club's goalkeeping department last week.
England Under-19 international Jed Steer arrived from Norwich City, leaving Given even more uncertain of his future after Brad Guzan deprived him of the number one spot last season .

[jonzy85]

I do see Lambert's reasoning that he wants to cultivate a tightly knit squad, with everyone pulling in the same direction. From that perspective, I could see why you would want Stephen Ireland out of the set up.

But as far as I can tell, both Given and Bent have been consummate professionals over the last year. They may not be part of our plans, but surely having them involved in training with our youngsters would only aid their development. In Bent's case, he is one of the supreme finishers in the Premier League. As good as Benteke has been, he still has a lot to learn and training alongside Bent would be a decent start. Not to mention the other younger players.
Also, surely Jed Steer would get a hell of a lot out of training with Given, one of the greatest keepers in the Prem League era. With the contract he is on, he clearly hasn't got a future with us, but why not get something out of the wages we are paying him.

From a selling point of view, it doesn't do us any favours ostracising these two, but also I feel both players are being unnecessarily humiliated.

[Villain1874]

I do see Lambert's reasoning that he wants to cultivate a tightly knit squad, with everyone pulling in the same direction. From that perspective, I could see why you would want Stephen Ireland out of the set up.

But as far as I can tell, both Given and Bent have been consummate professionals over the last year. They may not be part of our plans, but surely having them involved in training with our youngsters would only aid their development. In Bent's case, he is one of the supreme finishers in the Premier League. As good as Benteke has been, he still has a lot to learn and training alongside Bent would be a decent start. Not to mention the other younger players.
Also, surely Jed Steer would get a hell of a lot out of training with Given, one of the greatest keepers in the Prem League era. With the contract he is on, he clearly hasn't got a future with us, but why not get something out of the wages we are paying him.

From a selling point of view, it doesn't do us any favours ostracising these two, but also I feel both players are being unnecessarily humiliated.

I agree with you mate, i feel its unjust to treat Given and Bent the way they have been, but i think PL just wants to clear the decks asap and the club as a whole wants to reduce the wage bill and the three of those guys are on massive wages, which could be used in other areas of the club..

[eastie]

I agree with you both as well.