The beginning of the new season could not have come quicker enough for Aston Villa’s Darren Bent after an ankle injury ruled him out of Euro 2012. The striker, who captained his club side in their first game at Upton Park, unexpectedly lost his starting spot at home to West Brom on 30 September.
Bent had scored the only goal in Villa’s 4-1 away defeat to Southampton, but was demoted in favour of summer signing, Christian Benteke, against their Midlands rivals. Despite coming on to equalise and earn his team-mates a draw, the former Sunderland striker was a substitute in the next fixture at Tottenham.
Being overlooked by newly appointed manager, Paul Lambert, has fuelled speculation Bent may be sold in the January transfer window. The prospect of this appears very likely unless he is restored to the starting line-up, as he wants a return the England setup following valuable displays under former manager, Fabio Capello.
He had a strong chance of starting in England’s opening game against France in Ukraine, not just because of Wayne Rooney’s two-match suspension. Bent was England’s joint top-scorer in qualifying, scoring in his last competitive appearance away to Montenegro. It is unlikely any of Jermain Defoe, Danny Welbeck or Andy Carroll would have started ahead of him at Euro 2012 if he hadn’t got injured at Wigan in February this year.
A year on from helping England qualify for a major competition, Bent’s career has deteriorated somewhat. The 28-year-old will be 30 by 2014, so needs to swiftly solve his current situation at Aston Villa through either regaining his place or finding a new club.
Even if Bent regularly starts and scores for The Villans, he is not playing in European competition as Rooney, Welbeck and Defoe are, who were all part of the most recent England squad for the fixtures against San Marino and Poland. Welbeck seems to have replaced Bent, as before the latter’s ankle problem, the Manchester United forward had never started for his country. He now has established himself in the squad after a promising start to his international career. Perhaps Bent needs to join a club with higher ambitions to match his desire of playing again for the Three Lions and representing them at the 2014 World Cup.
Liverpool are depleted of quality finishers, with a huge weight on Luis Suarez’s shoulders and the three-month absence of Fabio Borini. Andy Carroll’s season-long loan to West Ham leaves the controversial Uruguayan the only recognised striker at Anfield. Aston Villa are in a transitional period, with little money to spend compared to Martin O’Neill’s tenure when they challenged for a Champions League spot. Now their main objective is to avoid relegation, which could also tempt Bent with a move away from the club he joined in January 2011.
Whilst the Reds themselves have been steadily declining, they can attract countless talented footballers due to their rich history. Bent would not hesitate to join a club of Liverpool’s stature, but he may not be guaranteed a first-team place due to Brendan Rodgers’ preferred 4-3-3 formation, with Suarez as the main man. However, Liverpool need a guaranteed goalscorer and Bent’s movement and sharpness in the penalty area would give Rodgers’ side an extra dimension in attack.
If rumours about Liverpool’s interest are false, there will still be plenty of other Premier League clubs wanting to sign a forward who has scored over 100 goals in England’s top tier. Paul Lambert and Aston Villa fans know Bent’s goals will be vital in guiding the team to at least avoiding relegation, so it will not be easy for another team to buy a player who cost his current club £24m. Lambert needs to build his youthful team around Bent, rather than endangering it by keeping him away from the opposition’s penalty area. Whether the striker stays or goes, he faces a huge challenge of adding to his 13 England caps.
Introducing the neat little app that’ll pay you to view content tailored to your interests:
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.