The news yesterday that Darren Bent has handed in a transfer request will have come as quite a shock to Sunderland fans. Bent has been key to Sunderland’s fortunes since his move from Tottenham in the summer of 2009, netting an incredible 24 times in the Premier League last season and adding a further 8 to his tally in this campaign. Bent has led the Sunderland line almost single-handedly, but the Black Cats aren’t exactly getting a bad deal if reports are to be believed. Aston Villa are thought to have bid £18 million for Bent (with the Telegraph saying that might be close to £24 million) and that would represent a good bit of business for Sunderland. That would obviously give Steve Bruce plenty of cash to bring in a replacement and he could do worse than turn to Robbie Keane.
Robbie Keane’s own move from Tottenham to Birmingham appears to have fallen through due to him being “financially not the best option.” A bid of £4 million rising to £6 million was accepted by Spurs, but with Keane already 30-years-old, it’s thought that the wages he was after were on the large side. If Bent was to leave the Stadium of Light, Keane’s financial demands certainly wouldn’t be a worry for Sunderland and they’d still have plenty of cash to strengthen the squad elsewhere.
One reason why Keane may well be linked with a move to the north-east is due to fellow Irishman Niall Quinn being the current chairman of Sunderland. Quinn knows Keane well, having played upfront with him for Ireland in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. I’m sure Steve Bruce would be glad to have another player with bags of Premier League experience in his squad and a link up with Asamoah Gyan surely isn’t out of the question.
I may well be putting two and two together and making five in regards to Keane joining Sunderland, but I’m not the only one. Former Sunderland captain Gary Bennett was voicing exactly the same thing on talkSPORT yesterday. Bennett said that “I’ve heard the Robbie Keane deal [to Birmingham] has fallen through so that might be something the club will have to look at. There are only two weeks left in the transfer window and we need to get a striker in quickly.” The latter is certainly true, but the question is whether Keane is what Sunderland need.
Robbie Keane’s career has stalled in recent years, but he is still a player who has plenty to offer a Premier League club. Keane has scored over 100 goals in the Premier League, nearly 50 international goals, and at 30 has plenty of experience and knowhow. At £5 million he represents good value, even when considering his inflated wages, and could well be the man to do a job at the Stadium of Light. Would you be happy to see Keane join Sunderland, or would you prefer Bruce to go after a striker with a greater goal scoring reputation?
[divider]
Love fantasy football? Love live footy? You’ll love live fantasy football! Take part in the Man City v Leicester match and play Picklive for FREE Go on, give it a go!