Chelsea Testing Liverpool's Resolve

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Two weeks ago, I questioned Roman Abramovic's stance over transfers, with little world class talent coming in and the likes of Michael Ballack departing, but it seems the Chelsea owner has finally seen the light, that they need some younger players if they are to succeed in his much wanted Champions League.

Finally, after 18 months of speculation, Chelsea have bid for Fernando Torres.

The Liverpool striker, 26, had been a fraction of his old self under Roy Hodgson, but now King Kenny has returned, the striker has hit three goals in four league games and looks to be back on song.

El Nino, the kid, has grown up over the last two seasons at Liverpool, firing a better strike rate than Didier Drogba's last season, despite the Ivorian claiming the Premier League golden boot.

Drogba and Torres have an opportunity to better their acquaintance.

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A statement on the BBC's website from a Liverpool FC spokeman said "The player is not for sale."

The offer, which is believed to be in the region of £35-£40 million, follows their last bid, in May, for the hit-man who Carlo Ancelotti would seem a perfect partner for the flourishing Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba at Stamford Bridge.

Torres would offer something different to both of them and I could see them complimenting each other well in the three-pronged attack which Chelsea have become accustomed to.

The big person in this situation is Torres himself, with the club failing to make the Champions League last season and looking unlikely to do so again given their opening period.

Could a player like Torres go two seasons, in the prime of his career, without playing in Europe's best knockout competition? I'd say not.

It could be down to the player whether any movement happens but, with the transfer window looming and closing on Monday night at 10pm, a decision must happen quickly for both parties to sort out their squads.

Torres, of course, would be ineligible for both the FA Cup and the Champions League, having also represented Liverpool in Europe, but his presence in the league alone could see Chelsea push Manchester United to the line, especially with the Champions still to face the current league leaders twice.

That would see Torres face up against Nemanja Vidic again, with the Liverpool striker having won the battle on several previous occasions.

Torres has often left Manchester United, and Nemanja Vidic, flat on their backs when he's played against them.

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The problem, should Torres leave, is what Liverpool could do next.

Obviously, they've been linked with Luis Suarez, who is currently at Ajax, but he, in no way, could replace a World class striker if Liverpool still have ambitions.

On the other side, you wonder whether Torres has fully recovered from his knee injury which he sustained before the World Cup, where he went the entire tournament without scoring.

If that is the case, Liverpool should take £40 million and run but it seems unlikely, given his age, that he is passed his best.

Carlo Ancelotti admitted after the Bolton game that he hoped to agree terms with Brazilian centre back David Luiz soon.

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It would certainly be a statement of intent were the Londoners to come back with an improved offer to accompany David Luiz, who is expected to sign from Benfica, as Abramovic decides whether he would like to make inroads into the transfer market and sent a message of intent to Europe.

Will Torres go to Chelsea? Who would Liverpool sign? Please discuss below.

Villa Pulling to Safety and Beyond

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Aston Villa and Gerard Houllier might well have finally found some inspiration for their season.

Two wins in a week, against Manchester City and Wigan have given the Frenchman breathing space after Villa's backboard made their support public.

It's safe to say, the change in fortunes could well be down to the sense of excitement Darren Bent has brought back to Villa Park.

Since James Milner left in the summer, the Villa faithful have been waiting for someone; Ashley Young, Stuart Downing, Gabriel Agbonlahor, to inspire the team and it hasn't happened, despite the form of Marc Albrighton.

It seems that the lift from Darren Bent's potential £24 million transfer has had a positive effect on the squad, with him scoring the winner on debut and playing a part in their win at Wigan.



Darren Bent had only ever scored once at Villa Park, for Spurs, but netted on his home debut.

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Aston Villa are one of those teams who thrive on confidence and it seemed the turning point over the last few months was when they threw away a 2 goal lead against current league leaders Manchester United at home, to leave Villa Park with only a point.

Since that, the side, captained by Stiliyan Petrov, have exited the Carling Cup at the hands of their near rivals Birmingham City and had only won once in 10 attempts in the league before the new striker pounced at weekend to hand them a 1-0 win, their first clean sheet in any competition since October.

Villa have now risen to 13th in the Barclays Premier League after a troublesome winter, but could they really kick on from here?

The answer, of course, is yes, given what we expect from the Midlands outfit.

I wouldn't be surprised to see them reach the top half come May, a target they are only 2 points off with 14 games to play.

No doubt, Gerard Houllier's side were in a false position but it will be interesting to see whether the manager now starts to win over the fans, something he has failed in achieving since he took over from Martin O'Neill.

Darren Bent might have gone some distance to helping him on that front and he will score goals, no matter who he plays with and it's about time the Villains had a top quality poaching striker, the last of whom questionably being Milan Baros, who left for the New York Red Bulls in April of 2007.

£24 million seems a lot in the current climate, but in a similar way to the Charlie Adam situation, every place in the Premier League, and survival, is worth so much that minimal transfer fee's don't make that much difference in the long run if the club remains in the top flight.

I am very much of the belief that Charlie Adam is worth more than £4 or even £10 million to Blackpool over the next 4 months if they can guarantee another year in the top flight and Bent is the same, on a different level.

He ups the bar and Villa will benefit from it.

Houllier can do the business, and he's had time to make necessary changes which he couldn't after he arrived at the end of the summer transfer window.

It looks as though Richard Dunne has found some form at the right time again, with the Republic of Ireland international seemingly out of sorts at the start of this season; a shadow of the player he was last season.




Villa's defence has been at sixes and sevens all season.


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It's a huge problem that no-one has brought the best out of Steven Ireland this season as well, but the team have pulled together and, with spirit high in the camp, I can't see there being any problems on their side of Birmingham this season.

Where do you think Villa will finish? How many goals can Darren Bent score this season? Please discuss below.

Gray/Keys on Women in Football

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After hearing all about Andy Gray and Richard Key's off the mic comments on women in football, I felt the need to step forward and say something.

The comments, that the woman lines-person in the Liverpool v Wolves game, Sian Massey, would need the offside rule explained to her and that she would get a huge decision wrong, came as the experienced Sky campaigners thought they were off the mic before the broadcast was submitted.

However, their disrespect for women in football, the FA for their confidence, and Miss Massey is evident.

The official, who has worked her way up through both the women's and men's ranks, impressed with her performance, calling the opener onside, despite contrary calls from elsewhere, a decision which was proved correct when Raul Meireles was sent clear.

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This was taken from a superb article by former referee Graham Poll on their actions, you can have a read here.

Let me make my opinion clear, there is room for women in football, despite what these former ''professionals'' think and these comments might have been with the view that they don't want the game, which saw them become famous, to change.

As well as Sky, other broadcasters have begun to shy away from appointing knowledgeable journalists in television positions in favour of the former pro's, even in formula one for the coming season, but you wonder whether this unprofessional lapse might prompt a re-think across the board.

Gray himself is well known for his controversial personality, one that has seen him become a success on Sky's weekend football team, but the real question might be whether Sky decide to stick with the duo, who have been at Sky for 13 years between them.

On research, Keys has also had a spat with Roy Keane before, with the former Ipswich manager being recorded as saying "I was asked last week by ITV to do the Celtic game," he said. "A couple of weeks before that I was asked to do the United game against Celtic at Old Trafford. I think I've done it once for Sky. Never again. I'd rather go to the dentist. You're sitting there with people like Richard Keys and they're trying to sell something that's not there." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Keys)

The worst thing is that the duo are not just criticising one person (which in turn is bad enough), having also verbally abused former West Ham United's vice chairman, Karen Brady, in the onslaught.






Karen Brady was left offended by comments made about her.




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If no-one else acts justifiably then the FA should, as it's them who have given women, and Miss Massey, a chance at the top level.

An FA statement on the Independent's website read: "The FA has made real strides in encouraging both male and female match officials to enter the game at every level, and will continue to offer every encouragement to all officials within the football family to progress to the highest levels possible.

"We are proud to have some of the world's best match officials, both male and female.

"Overall the number of female referees in England (Levels 1-8) stands at 853 and climbing, and all of our female match officials act as fantastic ambassadors for the game. They have our wholehearted and continuing support.




Sian Massey also ran the line when Blackpool travelled to Sunderland in December.



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I believe that the duo, who will now face talks with their employers, have apologised to the assistant, but that's not really good enough when there is a clear belief against what they have apologised for.

True characters aren't always shown on air and if that is what Keys and Gray believe, then they should be ousted from Sports, and by broadcasters who have found a reputation for producing the best quality sports coverage.

They've let their employers, the public and women lines-persons down and action should be taken to see women's integration into professional men's football as smooth as possible.





Gray and Keys might be testing their 3D glasses from home after they revealed their true beliefs about women in football.


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I can only hope this scenario has no effect on Miss Massey officiating in the Barclays Premier League again when, perhaps, she might find some appreciative pundits for her impressive displays.

El Hadj Set for Move

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It looks like West Ham might have set their stall out for a saviour.

El Hadji Diouf would probably not be anyone's choice on or off the pitch, but sources say that the Senegalese international could move to Upton Park as early as tomorrow.

Diouf is hardly a top quality name of the likes of Carlos Tevez, who of course near single-handedly saved West Ham from relegation in 2006.

Maybe Avram Grant is after some characters for his dressing room in an attempt to steer the Hammers clear of their bottom place current league position.

Diouf has scored four goals for Rovers and has yet to hit the target this season after falling slightly out of favour since Sam Allardyce left the club in December.







El Hadji Diouf still has his bad boy reputation.





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The striker, come winger, has a good relationship with the former Newcastle boss having worked with him previously at Bolton Wanderers.

Should a move go through, Diouf would follow Wayne Bridge into the club after his move from Manchester City but the Hammers fans will be hoping some real quality might come in over the next seven days.

Striker Demba Ba is also set to join on loan, but West Ham must start improving or the bad news could extend further than the Olympic Stadium decision, results that will only come if Grant finds some quality, unity and inspiration within his squad.

Do you think West Ham will stay up? Who will score their goals? Please discuss below.

Premier League Predictions- Week Eight

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Each week, I will now post my predictions for the weekend, and see if i can get more right than BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson.

This week, for the 22-24 January, the predictions below stand.

This week's predictions	Score	Lawro	Edward
Arsenal v Wigan	3-0	3-0	2-0
Aston Villa v Man City	1-0	1-1	1-3
Blackburn v West Brom	2-0	2-1	2-0
Blackpool v Sunderland	1-2	2-1	1-0
Bolton v Chelsea	0-4	1-1	1-2
Everton v West Ham	2-2	2-0	2-1
Fulham v Stoke	2-0	2-1	1-1
Man Utd v Birmingham	5-0	2-0	3-0
Newcastle v Tottenham	1-1	2-1	1-3
Wolves v Liverpool	0-3	1-1	0-2

Last weekend had huge amounts of potential but failed to entertain so much,especially on Sunday, with Wolves almost the fightback of the year against Manchester City.

I expect the big winners this weekend to be Manchester United. The Champions couldn't score against Spurs last weekend and have gone off the boil in front of goal.



Wayne Rooney has only scored twice in the league this season and had 15 at this point 12 months ago.

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Despite having Rafael suspended, I think it could be an opportunity for Wayne Rooney to finally make his mark on this season.

With their game in hand against Blackpool looming on Tuesday night, now would be the ideal time for the Champions to step up the pace and stamp their authority on the league.

The other big winners, not on the scoreline, but for the result, might well be Blackpool, who face a Sunderland team which might still be shocked by the departure of top scorer Darren Bent to Aston Villa.

There have been links with Steve Bruce wanting Ricardo Fuller to replace the England striker, but nothing will happen before he prepares his side to play at Bloomfield Road tomorrow.

Blackpool love to attack, particularly at home, and could move 9 points away from the drop zone with a win, not a bad position to be in with 15 games left.

Crazy things can happen in the Premier League and a Sunderland win might take them 5th, but Charlie Adam and company have been scoring plenty of goals to suggest they might get something from the game.

DJ Campbell scored both goals as Blackpool beat Sunderland 2-0 on New Years Day at the Stadium of Light.

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Not only that, but two goals from DJ Campbell sealed a Blackpool win in the Reverse fixture three weeks ago and they will be looking for the striker to link well with Luke Varney and Gary Taylor Fletcher, who has scored in each his last two starts.

The most entertaining game of the weekend could well be the Monday night football, with Chelsea travelling to Bolton Wanderers, who will be using the game as a celebration for the life of Nat Lofthouse and all he did for the club.






Nat Lofthouse was a club legend at Bolton Wanderers and his legacy will be remembered at the club forever.




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It will be interesting to see whether the emotion gets to any of the players, who might not have been directly involved with Nat, but will be well aware of the effect he had on the club.

Bolton's home record has been good, with their last defeat coming in October, courtesy of a the last minute goal by Liverpool's Maxi Rodriguez.

Despite this, Wanderers have an awful record against Chelsea, with their last home win coming in 1997, when Dean Holdsworth scored in a 1-0 win.

Wanderers haven's scored in their last four against Carlo Ancelotti's side, and were twice beaten 4-0 last season, Didier Drogba scoring on both occasions.






Drogba has scored 4 in his last 5 starts against Bolton and has never lost against the Whites.

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In other games, you wonder exactly how long Avram Grant has, especially if his West Ham side are to lose at Goodison Park against an improving Everton, while Newcastle v Tottenham could go either way, a bit like their bid to move into the Olympic Stadium.

Good luck to everyone's teams this weekend.

Who Should Get the Olympic Stadium?

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It's all the rage at the moment, who should get the Olympic Stadium after it's been used for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Whatever the committee decide, we are sure to find out over the next few days.

Today signals the day when both West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur will both finalise plans to move into the 60,000 seater stadium.

The chief of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), Andrew Altman, will have the final say on which London club, if any, will be allowed to move in after the summer of 2012.

The bids are fairly contrasting, with West Ham vowing to keep the athletics track which is being purpose built into the stadium, and Tottenham saying they want to get rid of it.

The proposal, initiated by Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, intends to reduce the distance supporters would be away from the pitch from 45 metres to only 8, but the bids have been criticised, as the arena is being built with athletics in mind.

He has written an interesting open letter to supporters explaining the current situation and that can be read here.

Perhaps an athletics track in the capital of England would benefit UK athletics more so than moving a football stadium 15 miles, in West Ham's case, or 23 in Spurs'.

West Ham's captain, Scott Parker has said that the move would be perfect, even geographically for West Ham to lead the club onwards and upwards.





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It would seem more logical that West Ham were to move, given the problems with moving Spurs out of Tottenham and having to change their name, but there are still concerns as to how they could even fill three quarters of the super stadium.

Spurs fans haven't all taken to the proposed move lightly.

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Tottenham would certainly have no problem in that aspect, despite the club having only a 36,000 seater stadium, as they have a 15,000 strong waiting list for season tickets alone.

Their argument is that it would benefit the club, who are currently in the Champions League, and would put them in a bigger club bracket.

Lamine Diack, a member of the International Athletics committee, in an interview with the BBC, spoke of how huge disappointment would follow if the organisations failed to honour their commitment to leave an athletics track in central London, but other high profile figures, including Pele, have stepped forward in the last few days supporting the Spurs bid.

Harry Redknapp has also had his say, suggesting that a move from West Ham, who he used to manage, could see an economic downfall of a club who already sit bottom of the Premier League, but it looks like the most stable bid could be successful.

The real question might be whether a stadium that big could only be used as a training facility for the UK's top athletes, with it being empty for maybe half a year, or whether a football stadium would boost the economy in the West Ham area of London.



Flip a coin, roll a dice, who knows what the decision could be.


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I'm glad I'm not deciding because it's one tough decision but maybe, given both football clubs already have sufficient facilities, Athletics, for once, should take priority.

What will happen to the Olympics Stadium? Will both football bids be declined? Please discuss below.

The Good and the Bad of Barcelona

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Last night saw something which football fans across the globe have become immune too, a Barcelona defeat.

It had been 30 games since Barcelona lost 2-0 at home to Hercules, when they travelled to the second division leaders, Real Betis, leading 5-0 after the first leg of their Copa del Rey tie.

Despite playing the likes of Messi and Xavi with some youngsters including Bojan, Barcelona were 2-0 down within ten minutes and went on to lose the game 3-1.

Messi missed a penalty and, ok, it was of no substance in a tie which was effectively already over, but it shows that Barca perhaps lack a strength in depth.





Messi missed a penalty as Real Betis caused an upset in the Spanish Cup.

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I take time to analyse the good and bad things about Barcelona and what they can achieve this season.

We'll start with the good, and that obviously peaked with their 5-0 victory over Real Madrid in El Classico in November.

I remember watching the game and I was expecting Barca to win fairly easily, but they still impressed me with their incredible movement and their ability to convert the multiple chances they created. You can watch the goals below.

It was Xavi, Villa and Messi who tormented Real throughout and even Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 22 goals this season, could not do more than touch the ball in the Catalan side's half.

It hasn't only been Real on the wrong side of a mauling from Pep Guardiola's side this season, however, and Espanyol, Almeria and Seville have all been hit for five, contributing to the Champions huge goal difference total of +50, most of which coming from the 8-0 away demolition of Almeria, who face Barca in the next round of the Cope del Rey. Bet they can't wait.

The most frightening thing about Barcelona, as well as their standard of players, is how technically good their midfielder's are.

I class Andres Iniesta as the best midfielder in the world, despite some well regarded pundits saying Xavi is better, as he takes the games to teams, can pass, can score and has a footballing brain.



Iniesta and Xavi have played together for some time at both club and international level, and they supplement each other's play well.

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It's a close match, but it's safe to say that the side have two of the top players in that position in the world, who have ketp the likes of Cesc Fabregas out of the Spanish team.

They play well off each other and have two of the best footballing brains I have ever seen. It's a shame that I doubt we'll ever see either of them in the Premier League.

Obviously, it's ok to have creativity, but you need the strikers to finish those chances.

The front three, Messi, Villa and Pedro, have scored a combined 42 goals, despite only Pedro playing all 19 league games so far, and only Hercules, in the league, and Atletico Bilbao, in the Cup, have managed to keep out the dominatory side so far this season.



Barca's trophy collection is already pretty impressive, but they are still in with a chance of winning the Champions League, the Copa del Rey and La Liga, where they sit four points clear at the top.

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The real question is, how do you stop Barcelona? Maybe one day, someone might hire a few double decker buses to park in front of the goal, advice which might be well heralded by Arsenal when they travel to the Nou Camp in 6 weeks.

Arsene Wenger's side are full of confidence at the moment after beating Chelsea 3-1 at the Emirates last month but you question whether Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and company can really afford to take the game to Barcelona.



Barcelona left their mark on the pitch against Arsenal last time out and it could become a permanent scar if Arsenal fail to turn up again.

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That is one area where Barcelona are a little short, at the back.

It's a bit like picking at holes, considering they have kept 9 clean sheets this season, but they don't usually draw 0-0, you quite simply have to score against them.

This video might be a few years old but, regardless, the team still set out in the same manner.




The last time they were beaten to nil, prior to the Hercules defeat, was in a pre season friendly against Manchester City in 2008 and maybe Arsenal, and other teams, are going to have to accept that they won't have much of the ball, and that they must take any chance they get.

That is where pace comes in. Theo Walcott must be huge for Arsenal in both legs against the Spanish side, and pace is something which they have struggled against, especially given he'll likely be up against Eric Abidal.




Walcott's pace could be absolutely essential if Arsenal are to get any kind of result, but he must make the right decisions.

Arsenal scored against Barca in both of last season's ties, and maybe they can learn from their experiences but I expect Barca to lift the trophy again come May and it will be a privilege to see them conquer the domestic world at Wembley.

There have been questions raised of Guardiola as a manager, but how can a manager be under pressure when he has a team that could perform whether they have a manager, coaching team, fans, or not.

It's time for someone to step up and not be afraid of the Spaniards, and that could be their downfall, but we don't want a Spanish team to dominate the whole of Europe for years to come.

A treble would go some way to claiming that title and anyone who can stop them would again be worthy of winning whatever competition they're playing in.

How do you stop Barcelona? Do Arsenal have any chance in the Champions League tie? Could Barca win the treble?

Lion of Vienna - Nat Lofthouse

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The funeral time and place for Bolton Wanderers club legend, Nat Lofthouse, has just been announced on the Official Bolton Wanderers website.

The former England striker, who scored 30 goals in 33 appearances for his country, died on Saturday night, aged 85, after a glittering career at his one and only club, Bolton.

255 goals in over 450 appearances for the North West side will mean he is well remembered and there are set to be special tributes ahead of Bolton's home game with Chelsea on Monday.

It's a sad time for Wanderers fans, and a website has been set up here with information about the striker, who scored both goals against Manchester United in the 1958 FA Cup Final, after losing 4-3 to Blackpool three years earlier.

He made his debut for England against Yugoslavia, where he scored both goals in a 2-2 draw and had 15 successful years at a club he later went on to manage, and the East stand at the Reebok is still named after him.




Nat Lofthouse was a huge success throughout his career.


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His legendary status was supported by him being voted the club's best ever player in a 2006 poll at the club.

The mascot at the club, Lofty the Lion, was introduced in 1995, being named after the cult hero and the player is sure to have left his mark on a club that has come some way since.

Details regarding the funeral at this sad time can be found on the Bolton Wanderers website.

Did you ever see Nat play? What did you think of him as a player or man? Please discuss below.

Bent Asking for Move

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I'm hearing confirmed reports that Sunderland striker Darren Bent has handed in a transfer request.

That can only be bad news for the Black Cats in a season where they have played well and sit 6th in the league.

Bent has continued his good record at the North East club this season, and has scored 12 goals for Steve Bruce's side, despite taking a side role to club record signing Asamoah Gyan of late.

The Ghanaian has scored 8 goals since his move from Rennes and has been played in a lone striker role, especially away from home.

The reasons for the written request haven't yet been released and nothing has been posted on his official twitter page, on which Bent was accused of using to seal a move from Tottenham two seasons ago.

Bent has scored 37 goals for the North East outfit.





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Perhaps he feels it's time to step back up a level and you wonder whether a team like Liverpool might test Bruce's resolve for the player who signed for £10 million in the summer of 2009.

If Kenny Dalglish believes he needs a strike partner to Fernando Torres, Bent, a consistent goalscorer in his Premier League history, might be the answer to solve the continuing problem of finding a partner for the Spaniard.




Torres has been a lone striker at Liverpool for some time and sometimes lacks support.

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I doubt that Bent, 26, would move abroad unless someone huge came in, but that seems unlikely given his pedigree to get back into the England set up.

There must be something that we don't yet know and I wouldn't be surprised if he leaves as soon as possible as that would leave Bruce time to find an able replacement.

Where do you think Bent will go? How much could Sunderland get for him? Who could replace him? Please discuss below.