Darren Bent’s move from Sunderland to Aston Villa has the potential to reignite the Midlands club’s season after a terribly disappointing campaign so far. The Villains sit precariously above the drop zone in 17th place, with a miserly 22 points from 22 games. They are positioned just above Wigan Athletic only through the courtesy of goals scored.
Gerard Houllier, who has only been at the helm for a matter of months, has been under massive pressure as Villa have slid further and further into the relegation mire. The Villa Park outfit possess a leaky defence which has conceded 39 goals, 26 coming away from home and a toothless attack who have yielded a return of 24 goals in 22 league games. Based on these statistics Villa’s fall into the relegation battle requires little explaining.
In Bent, Villa have signed one of those rarest of species, a proven Premier League goalscorer with a very respectable average of just over one goal in every two games; the type of player Villa haven’t had since Dion Dublin and arguably the sort of front man they needed when they were competing for a Champions League place under Martin O’Neill. The ‘goals for’ column has been a real concern for Houllier and his backroom staff as Villa have squandered clear cut chances in many games this season. Bent’s arrival at Villa Park should go some way to addressing Villa’s goalscoring woes.
Days after securing the signature of talented Cameroon international Jean Makoun from Lyon, Bent’s arrival will give the whole club a lift. None more so than the supporters who had begun to lose faith in their team and their manager. It is the type of transfer that could be worth four or five points simply through the feel-good factor it generates. The fee, a basic £18M, rising to £24M with add-ons, demonstrates that club owner Randy Lerner is prepared to back his judgement in bringing Houllier in, and this should ensure any players at odds with the Frenchman knuckle down as he won’t be departing in a hurry.
Villa’s position in the table has arguably been the contributing factor to Lerner’s decision to open the chequebook, but there is also a genuine desire to have the Midlands side competing at the right end of the table again next season. The American is an astute businessman and he will be acutely aware that it is better to spend big-money on Bent now to guarantee the club’s Premier League status than risk the dire financial consequences of relegation. Assuming Bent can fire Villa to league safety this season he will then be tasked with leading Villa’s quest for European football in the 2011/12 campaign.
In an era where football managers seem as dispensable as the plastic cups hot drinks are served in on match days, it is refreshing to see a chairman back his manager not just with a vote of confidence, but also with a significant financial outlay in the transfer market. This is a fact that won’t be lost on Houllier and the Frenchman will be eager to repay the loyalty shown by his employer during this difficult period.
Since Lerner fell out with previous manager Martin O’Neill there had been reports that the American’s commitment to the Villa cause was waning, but this bold transfer market move, very much out of the blue, confirms that Aston Villa’s owner is still eager to bring success to Villa Park.
