So Darren Bent changed his mind, but why? Apparently the ink was dry on a £17m deal (which, by the way,  seems way, way over the odds) taking him from Charlton to West Ham, but at the last minute the 23-year-old Cambridge-born striker pulled the plug on the move. What were his reasons?

Reason number one, I feel, must have been the very real prospect that West Ham United will be demoted to the Championship next week when the court of arbitration makes its long-awaited decision on whether the punishment fitted the crime regarding the Tevez-Mascherano saga.

There would be little point in the highly-rated front man switching from South to East London only to be playing at places like Scunthorpe instead of Manchester. Demotion would also more than likely lead to a mass exodus from West Ham, which would further hamper chances for an immediate return to the top flight.

'Spurs have a packed strike force as it is, but Darren Bent arguably has a lot more to offer than Robbie Keane and to a greater extent Jermain Defoe'


Alternatively, he may received a last-minute phone call from Spurs and decided that life at White Hart Lane offered a whole lot more to a player whose Premiership credentials are undeniable. His 31 goals in 68 top flight games is quite a record and is even more impressive if you consider those goals were scored in two lean seasons for Charlton Athletic. Think what he could do at a resurgent Spurs!

Spurs have a packed strike force as it is, but Bent actually brings a fourth different type of striker option for Martin Jol. He is a pure box finisher both on the ground and in the air - and also runs into channels with regularity and can play as a single striker. The price, as I mentioned earlier, is thought to be in the region of £15-20m which, at first sight, seems steep. But given his age and proven potential, Bent may be too good a target for Jol to ignore. Whether or not all four strikers will stay happy is another story.

A third, and perhaps more intriguing, possibility is that a third party has come in at the last minute and attracted Bent's attention. Maybe Chelsea or Arsenal are planning a surprise swoop? I could see Bent fitting in at the Emirates. In my opinion he is exactly what they need, a fresh canvas for Wenger to paint on and the kind of player to keep the Gunners fans happy should Thierry Henry take the much anticipated road out of North London. A proper finisher to tuck away the 900 chances that were spurned every time Arsenal took to the pitch last season.

Whoever Darren Bent joins, he will certainly be leaving The Valley. Sorry, Charlton fans, it’s a done deal. But Bent stands to be the next big thing. He's a big fish in a small pond who is ready to test his ability and skills in one of the game's larger oceans.