With a better goals-per-game ratio in the Premier League than both Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, Darren Bent doesn’t seem a likely journeyman on paper. A veteran of five clubs before the age of twenty-seven, rumours are rife that Liverpool could be a sixth notch on the goalpost before he reaches twenty-eight. Scoring goals wherever he goes, Bent’s career mocks the notion that a player needs to settle to flourish.
Switching seamlessly from Sunderland to Aston Villa last January, nine goals in sixteen games for the midlands outfit capped a prolific campaign that propelled Bent over the 150 point mark in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) for the second consecutive year. With plenty goals in pre-season, Bent had no shortage of takers despite his double digit FPL valuation this term, as Villa embarked on a run of fixtures that seemed to forecast plain sailing. Out-gunned and undercut by Gabby Agbonlahor in September, a run of four goals in five games in October failed to prevent a steady stream of investors abandoning ship, and by the time a thigh injury consigned Bent to the treatment table in December, there were few lifeboats left to man.
Announcing his re-launch in style, Bent swept off the bench to score in Villa’s euphoric 3-1 victory at Chelsea on New Year’s Eve, and another sharp display against Everton last weekend bagged him a goal and three bonus points. Villa’s fixtures look strong in the short term, with a trip across town to Wolves this weekend immediately followed by a home tie against QPR and, with Agbonlahor failing to find the net since early November, Bent is once again the proud flagship of the claret and blue fleet.
The Wildcard window affords Fantasy managers the opportunity to restructure and rebalance their squads, and with few outstanding front-line options priced between 8.0 and 11.0, Bent -at 9.6- could prove the missing piece for a few managerial jigsaws. Liverpool’s courtship may provide further incentive to a player who seems to enjoy life in the shop window, and at 4.3% ownership, Bent is a differential with form, fixtures and proven FPL pedigree who may well furnish food for thought for many a Fantasy manager.
