from the Bexley Times:
DARREN Bent may have rejected a lucrative move to West Ham last week but he needs to think long and hard about his next destination.
The England international snubbed the Hammers hoping that a bigger club may come in for him and he may well be right with Liverpool and Tottenham still reportedly in the hunt.
He has turned his back on major money, a reported £75,000 a week - which he's unlikely to be offered anywhere elsewhere - so his motives must be of a football, rather than financial, nature.
However, Bent needs to seriously weigh up his options as neither Liverpool or Spurs can offer him what he, or any ambitious striker, requires - regular first-team football.
Rafa Benitez chops and changes his Liverpool line-up for practically every single competitive fixture. He seldom ever names an unchanged side and often employs only one striker up front. His selection policy also appears more pre-occupied with match sharpness and stamina than form, which can infuriate any player who wants to be playing week-in, week-out.
Spurs boss Martin Jol regularly deployed Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane as his frontline partnership last term and Bent must therefore query if he's going to get much of a chance at White Hart Lane.
Former Addick Jermain Defoe knows all about warming the bench while Berbatov and Keane bask in the limelight; does Bent want to follow in his international team-mate's footsteps?
If the Addicks topscorer can find himself an aspiring club who give him regular football and the chance of winning silverware, both home and abroad, his decision to rebuff West Ham will have been vindicated. If not though, he may well come to regret not jumping while he had the chance.
I'm fairly certain Bent will leave The Valley this summer as his valuation will plummet the moment he kicks a ball in the Championship, but the move must be right for his fledging career.
http://www.bexleytimes.co.uk/content/bexley/times/sport/story.aspx?brand=BXYOnline&category=sportfootball&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=sportbxy&itemid=WeED20%20Jun%202007%2016%3A28%3A57%3A353
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Comments
He's much vaunted and secure at Charlton with 3 years contract left @ £25k pw + and the hottest property in the division.
He knows West Ham wanted him enough to guarantee him 1st team football and £70k pw - and he wasn't motivated to go.
Spurs sounds attractive to him because of the way they play, but he knows the rules: cough up the asking price before the club let him talk. But he needs to play.
Liverpool, Arsenal......a season bench warming. That won't allow him to score too many goals.
As far as England is concerned, he knows he'll only be picked by Steve Mac Clown if the manager is desperately knee deep in stinking brown stuff. And at 23, he can bide his time.
So he can probably afford a season in the Championship - only one, mind you - without damaging his prospects.
If all else fails, and things are not working out at The Valley - then he's gone in the January window.
Watch him break the club's all time single season scoring record (32).
Win promotion back to the money league.
We either keep him, or get excellent value in a transfer.
Simple. lol.