We’re not surprised that West Ham supporters have quickly moved to the ‘We didn’t want him at that price anyway’ attitude after being rejected by Darren Bent, but it’s a little more unexpected that Tottenham supporters appear quite so divided after allegedly agreeing a fee with Charlton.
Spurs fansite TopSpurs leads the way with a rather passionate rant, likening the player to Chris Armstrong or Kevin Philips, citing a lack of need of yet another striker and especially at the apparent opportunity cost of a quality left sided player. £17 million is never going to be spent without a few doubts, and the lads at Glory-Glory.net are mulling it over in a slightly more balanced discussion.
To us, the big point that seems to be lacking from any of these arguments is what this deal says about Dimitar Berbatov’s future at the club. Yes, he has rejected Manchester United’s attention for this season but next year could be a completely different story – especially if Spurs fail to qualify for the Champions League. Darren Bent is as proven a Premiership striker as Tottenham are going to be able to attract and a very exciting prospect at just 22. He’s played, and scored, under two different managers in two different tactical systems and in two different footballing situations (midtable and relegation).
Perhaps the club are pulling out all the stops to get him this year while he still can, because they know that they’ll need him next season. The lad will have a year to settle at the club without the pressure of being the main striker, and then placed firmly in Berbatov’s shoes after Sir Alex comes knocking a second time?
Last season was tougher as the squad learned to cope without Michael Carrick, with Didier Zokora taking his sweet time in settling into English football. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Spurs management have learned their lesson.
Well, maybe it would.