This one is truly a shock: 26-year-old England striker is set to depart Sunderland to take his services to become a member of Aston Villa. The apparently unhappy striker sent in his written transfer request to manager Steve Bruce and Black Cat management Sunday night and it appears the club are willing to let him leave, for reasons I’m still not quite sure about. The strong front-man has notched a good return of 36 goals in 63 appearances, however, Sunderland appear to be willing to let new signings Asamoah Gyan and on-loan man Danny Welbeck as well as Fraizer Campbell to lead the attack. Steve Bruce confirmed the story ESPN Soccernet Sunday, saying “”I’m disappointed but that’s the way it is.” The deal is said to be worth approximately £18 million but could rise to £24 million depending on the club’s survival and future trophies, as well as Bent’s goals and appearances. The transfer would be a Villa record.
I suppose all in all the transfer makes sense. Villa are in a relegation dog-fight right now after contending for a spot in the Champions League last campaign under Martin O’Neill. John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor have yet to score a goal this campaign, while Emile Heskey and Nathan Delfouneso are predictably not producing many goals either. Bringing in a striker makes perfect sense, however, Bent’s valuation of £18 million seems a bit ludicrous. Yes, he is proven in the English Premier League, especially after a couple of solid seasons with Sunderland. However, the pricey front-man’s production is a bit skewed considering the number of penalties he regularly takes for the Black Cats. I’m not sure he’s worth a club record fee at a place such as Villa.
On the other side of the coin, is Steve Bruce really ready to let Asamoah Gyan be the focal point in attack? The Ghanaian international just arrived in England during the summer and has produced some great performances thus far, but the pressure has been eased on the new man thanks to Darren Bent’s and Danny Welbeck’s production. A possible option for Bruce is to try and sign Welbeck on a permanent basis and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind doing that. Otherwise, Bruce has two weeks to try and find someone else. That will be tough considering the club have yet to be linked with any man who can put the ball in a soccer goal. All in all, this is shock news.
