Bruce launches stinging attack on Houllier
A war of words has broken out between the two clubs since the 26-year-old England international completed a £24million move to Villa Park on Tuesday, barely two days after Bent submitted a transfer request.
Bruce was devastated to lose the man who spearheaded the Black Cats’ push for Europe this season after plundering 25 goals and furious about how the deal was done.
He said: “I would have liked even a phone call from Mr Houllier, for whom I did have the utmost respect for what he’s done.
“I would have thought that, out of respect, maybe he would have picked up the telephone to say, ‘We are interested in buying your striker’.
“That at least would have given me an opportunity to try to do something about it.
“If you are telling me we gave them permission to speak to him at 8pm on Sunday and it is done and dusted and there’s a press conference by Tuesday, I don’t think we should insult our intelligence.
Villa issued a statement on Wednesday accusing Sunderland of trying to “besmirch” the club’s name, but the row shows few signs of abating as Bruce attempts to plug a gap made all the more sizeable by the news that loan signing Danny Welbeck underwent surgery to repair a torn knee cartilage and will be sidelined for up to eight weeks.
Bruce, who successfully fought off Turkish club Fenerbahce’s bid to sign Bent during the summer, said: “If I am being honest, I never, ever saw it coming. I didn’t see it coming.
“When I first heard about it, I just dismissed it and thought, ‘No chance’. I just dismissed it because I didn’t think they would get to the levels with the money and I didn’t think Darren would want to go there.
“I honestly, genuinely thought that. But there you go — I was wrong.
“I can’t go along with the thing of the bigger club and the ambition.
“Listen, the way the world is, everybody wants to have better jobs and better this and better that and better the other.
“You will have to ask Darren on those questions — why, and the timing of it, why he couldn’t have waited three months until the summer and just have a little bit of respect for us?
Bruce now faces a battle to find back-up for record signing Asamoah Gyan, the club’s only fit recognised striker, during the remaining days of the winter transfer window but admitted he wouldn’t go out shopping to land a marquee name but did acknowledge an interest in Stoke’s Ricardo Fuller.
“I have to say to the Sunderland fans it would be wrong for them to think I am going to go and spend £20m on a striker. That ain’t going to happen.”
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