Q So, Darren Bent is worth £400,000 more than Thierry
Henry. How does that work?
A It doesn't, at face value - or by any orthodox judgement. But
after watching their north London rivals lose the best player in
the history of the Premiership, Spurs are convinced they have
pulled off a real coup. Bent has signed a six-year contract and
Tottenham know the new TV contract, guaranteeing every top flight
club £40m a season, will only push up transfer prices. And they are
paying Bent £45,000 per week, 40 per cent less than he turned down
at West Ham.
Q Yes, maybe. But come on - there's no comparison between
them, surely?
A The stats bear that out. Henry scored 226 goals in eight years at
Arsenal, averaging 28 each season, while Bent found the net 38
times in two years at Charlton, where the pressure was vastly
different. Henry was the talisman and heartbeat of Arsene Wenger's
side, capable of sheer genius and the scourge of Spurs on a number
of occasions. Suddenly, Bent has got to deliver for a big club,
which has to target a top-four place and finish above the Gunners
for the first time since 1995. It's a massive jump - and massive
ask.
Q Doesn't it look like Spurs have paid over the odds again
- as so often in the past?
A At first glance, possibly, although chairman Daniel Levy will
doubtless point to Dimitar Berbatov, whose value has shot through
the roof in 12 months, and the fact that Spurs have a crop of
young, talented and English players, all on long-term deals, and
Welsh youngster Gareth Bale. Getting Bent to sign for six years is
a statement of intent, too.
Q Perhaps, but it's still £16.5m for a player who won't
even be an automatic first-choice, isn't it?
A Yes - unless Levy decides to flog Berbatov. Martin Jol believes
that Bent can work with Berbatov, who would drop off while the new
man plays on the shoulder of the last defender, but the
Berbatov-Keane partnership will be the starting pick.
Q So who is the happier this morning - a Spurs fan
delighted at the new signing, or the Gooner laughing at the money
Tottenham have paid to get him?
A no-brainer. They may have paid over the odds, thanks to
Charlton's successful game of hard-ball, but Spurs have got more
attacking options than they did last season, when their four
frontmen scored 19 more than the five men Wenger used up front
including the now-departed skipper. Arsenal have lost a player who
simply can't be replicated.
