by JC_81 » Mon Jun 18, 2007 9:43 pm
I'm just not convinced by Bent to be honest. He's a good goalscorer and his link-up play is decent but not exceptional. His pace is his major weapon, but for me he relies too much on hanging on the last defender and using pure pace to sprint in behind. His movement doesn't look particularly clever to me and his goals-to-shots ratio I can't imagine being fantastic.
He's the type of player I'd snap up for the 5-7 million bracket, but when you're talking over 10 million I think he's too much of a gamble. When you talk 16-17 million I don't think we should even be talking about him.
At a top four club with defences lying a lot deeper it takes more than pure pace to break them down, as Bellamy discovered last season. I just haven't seen enough from Bent to justify that sort of fee.
Benni McCarty's also been mentioned. I like him but last summer was the time to take a gamble on him, not now. He's had a great season but I'm not entirely convinced it wasn't a flash in the pan. Gudjohnsen's also been mentioned. For me no way. IMO Mourinho ruined a very good second striker by playing him as a bit-part centre-mid for 2 seasons. These days he looks like he has no killer instinct in and around the box compared to his early days.
holes stiched up
