Darren Bent joins Fulham on loan (Reply #486)

[stubbsyandy]

We paid a fair price for Bent IMHO and he more than repaid that fee seeing as his goals helped keep up us for two seasons.

SSN say conflicting reports as to whether Fulham have made an increased offer.

He will score plenty for them if their system suits him and the best of luck to him as he had done nothing wrong here.

Agreed!

[tim]

Only got ourselves to blame by not playing him more often but when someone is pushed to the side in such an obvious fashion, there's no way of then claiming he's worth more.

If we had played him more often last season there's a good chance we'd be attending our first proper game of this season tomorrow.

Indeed.

Not arguing with that - not suggesting we should have played him more, just that we can't be too surprised his valuations have dropped as a result. If he was still worth £20m, then he would have played (when fit).

[VinnieChase84]

I don't think a fee of £6m rising to £8m is bad at all. Ignoring how much we paid for him (as we all know how inflated it was due our precocious position) it's about right. Or physiologically even better is to see it as someone giving us Benteke, as Bents fee will outweigh what we paid for him.
Bents 30 years old, on big big wages and has a recent questionable injury record. £8m and 80k a week off our books is a result

[Titus Aduxus]

Only got ourselves to blame by not playing him more often but when someone is pushed to the side in such an obvious fashion, there's no way of then claiming he's worth more.

If we had played him more often last season there's a good chance we'd be attending our first proper game of this season tomorrow.

Indeed.

Not arguing with that - not suggesting we should have played him more, just that we can't be too surprised his valuations have dropped as a result. If he was still worth £20m, then he would have played (when fit).

Your right and his age is another thing.

[Dave]

If/when Bent does go to Fulham, they'll have spent a combined £10m on a pair of strikers who were transferred for over £50m in the last few years.

Bit of a bargain really.

[Toronto Villa]

If/when Bent does go to Fulham, they'll have spent a combined £10m on a pair of strikers who were transferred for over £50m in the last few years.

Bit of a bargain really.

Or one Fernando Torres - shudders

if they can work together then they are potentially a deadly combination though (pinch of bias added) I'd put our front line up against the best in the PL this season

[supertom]

We didn't pay a value fee for Bent. We were desperate for him in Jan 11. Sunderland were comfortable an with no desire to sell. The only reason we got him was because we paid a ridiculous fee of up to 24. I'd guess it was 18 plus a few other add ons, of which we've probably paid a few. I figure we had to pay some extra upon our survival that year for starters.

His goals kept us up that year, and indeed the goals he scored in the first half of the following season played a big part in keeping us up. Given what we stood to lose from relegation he's proved good value IMO.

At this stage we've made it clear he's dead weight now. We have a player with questionnable injury record, approaching 30 who won't even make our 25 man squad. So we're probably luck if we get 6 million to be honest. We've made it abundantly clear we don't want his wages on our books. If Darren Bent came out and said he's willing to drop his wages to 30k a week, we'd have clubs willing to pay us a 10 mill fee, but that's not gonna happen. Our fee has to be low in order that someone else takes on a player who'll earn 80k a week.

How can £18 million for the best English goalscorer be ridiculous coming as it did in a month when Andy Carroll went for £35 million and Fernando Torres for fifty?

Obviously in relation to other transfers of that time its a bargain but it's just an indication as to how silly transfers are. We had ample opportunity in years previous to buy Bent for at least half of the 24 odd million we had. Like most big january transfers we paid well over the odds. i like Darren Bent. He's actually proved good value in the end by keeping us up, but there's no way he's a 24 million standard player. But then again if Andy Carroll is worth 35 million apparently, then I guess you could argue we got Bent at half price.
I thought we paid too much for Downing at 12 million, given he's an okay player at best. Of course the insanity of football transfer figures then saw him move for 20 million to Liverpool.

[supertom]

If/when Bent does go to Fulham, they'll have spent a combined £10m on a pair of strikers who were transferred for over £50m in the last few years.

Bit of a bargain really.

Or one Fernando Torres - shudders

if they can work together then they are potentially a deadly combination though (pinch of bias added) I'd put our front line up against the best in the PL this season

I think it's a front line that will get goals but it's also the sort of front-line that probably means you won't be much more than mid-table. You'd be bloody good to watch at times, but you've got two front men who are gonna go missing a lot when they're needed.

I also think the way Jol wants to set up now, he's probably going to sacrifice some of Berbas goal threat. He wants Berb as a second striker to link attack and midfield and hopefully make a few for Benty. Sometimes it'll work, others there'll be a dearth in energy that'll see them struggle in games.

That said when Berba is on it he's an absolute delight to watch.

[Toronto Villa]

If/when Bent does go to Fulham, they'll have spent a combined £10m on a pair of strikers who were transferred for over £50m in the last few years.

Bit of a bargain really.

Or one Fernando Torres - shudders

if they can work together then they are potentially a deadly combination though (pinch of bias added) I'd put our front line up against the best in the PL this season

I think it's a front line that will get goals but it's also the sort of front-line that probably means you won't be much more than mid-table. You'd be bloody good to watch at times, but you've got two front men who are gonna go missing a lot when they're needed.

I also think the way Jol wants to set up now, he's probably going to sacrifice some of Berbas goal threat. He wants Berb as a second striker to link attack and midfield and hopefully make a few for Benty. Sometimes it'll work, others there'll be a dearth in energy that'll see them struggle in games.

That said when Berba is on it he's an absolute delight to watch.

What we're going to get are those highlights of them combining for a great goal, but the bit of the story that goes untold is where they have been missing for a good chunk of each game. Now, if Fulham find a way to compensate for that, easier said than done then they will discovered a quite magical formula.

[Ron Manager]

Ive been away but it appears Newcastle's talks with Bents people collapsed when they found out Joe had only bid 2mil for him. Even taking his wages into consideration thats plainly ridiculous. More about Joe trying to get Pardew out I think than getting Darren in.

[john e]

Ive been away but it appears Newcastle's talks with Bents people collapsed when they found out Joe had only bid 2mil for him. Even taking his wages into consideration thats plainly ridiculous. More about Joe trying to get Pardew out I think than getting Darren in.

the appointment of Kinnear is right up there with TSM,
the moment you start to look for answers it just creates more questions

its one of those decisions that defy any logic or reason, theres no point looking for it as it wont be found

Bent will be far better of down at Fulham if he can negotiate a move there,
 good club, good manager, some good players including Berbatov who is extra special

[Ron Manager]

Ive been away but it appears Newcastle's talks with Bents people collapsed when they found out Joe had only bid 2mil for him. Even taking his wages into consideration thats plainly ridiculous. More about Joe trying to get Pardew out I think than getting Darren in.

the appointment of Kinnear is right up there with TSM,
the moment you start to look for answers it just creates more questions

its one of those decisions that defy any logic or reason, theres no point looking for it as it wont be found

Bent will be far better of down at Fulham if he can negotiate a move there,
 good club, good manager, some good players including Berbatov who is extra special

Couldnt agree more.

[dave.woodhall]

I don't think a fee of £6m rising to £8m is bad at all. Ignoring how much we paid for him (as we all know how inflated it was due our precocious position)

Do we?

[PaulTheVillan]

I think the original £18m fee wasn't that bad business.

He certaily helped repay it that season.

[dave.woodhall]

This idea that the fee was over the odds is all part of the strange situation with Bent. At the time it was seen as reasonable, he was going to be the big hero and score loads of goals. He kept his part of the bargain but he was never idolised as he should have been and his fee is now regarded in some quarters as excessive, even though by any standards he did well for us before getting injured.