TOTTENHAM boss Harry Redknapp insists he has no regrets about selling Darren Bent over the summer, despite the striker’s barnstorming start to the season with Sunderland.
Bent will return to White Hart Lane today for the first time since his acrimonious £10 million (€11.2m) departure from Spurs in August looking to add to his tally of eight goals.
The 25-year-old is the leading English goalscorer in the Barclays Premier League and remains an outside bet to make Fabio Capello’s England squad for next summer’s World Cup finals in South Africa.
Redknapp maintains there was no bad blood between him and Bent, who was never first choice at Spurs under the former Portsmouth manager, and reckons all parties concerned were happy with the transfer.
"Darren Bent scored goals for us and I had no problem with him," Redknapp said. "I think our chairman (Daniel Levy) did a deal where it pushes up to £16m (€17.9m) on appearances and goals, so it was a good deal for us and a good deal for Darren.
"He’s playing regularly for Sunderland and is becoming a big player in their team. He is now somewhere where he is able to play regularly and score goals and he’s shown what he can do. He’s a good player."
Bent launched an infamous Twitter rant at the Tottenham board as he sought a move and was also unhappy about Redknapp publicly blasting him for missing a golden chance in a 1-1 draw against Portsmouth back in January, when the Spurs boss said: "My missus could have scored that."
Bent has settled quickly up in Wearside, scoring some crucial goals against the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, leading some critics to claim Redknapp made an error in selling him.
But Redknapp added: "It will never haunt me, whatever he does at Sunderland. It’s a game of opinion. People move on and prove other people wrong. Who knows, he may not have scored any goals here at Tottenham.
"What he has to do is let his football do the talking. He’s scoring goals so just get on with it. He has to keep scoring goals all year and get in the World Cup squad."
It’s understandable Redknapp does not miss Bent given he has the likes of Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko competing for places.
Redknapp has challenged Defoe to finish this season as top scorer in the Barclays Premier League this season.
Defoe will return from a three-match ban to lead the line for Spurs.
Redknapp is delighted to welcome back the England striker.
"He has looked sharp, he’s looked like every game he is going to score, so hopefully he can come out and get back scoring goals," Redknapp said.
"There’s no reason he can’t be leading goalscorer in the Premier League. He’s got as good a chance as anybody. We make lots of chances at this club so if he continues to stick them away he’ll have an opportunity."
Redknapp labelled Defoe as the best predator in the top flight, adding: "He’s a box player; he doesn’t get that much involved in the build-up play.
"But when it comes into the box, his finishing and his quickness puts him right up there with the best."
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, November 07, 2009
