Does Bent have a Villa future?

Aston Villa collected a crucial three points on Tuesday night as they beat Reading 1-0.

The victory came courtesy of a late header from Belgian striker Christian Benteke with 11 minutes left to play.

Benteke is becoming a big hit with the fans at Villa Park, despite angering his manager Paul Lambert recently when he said in public that when he signed for the Villains, he thought they were a London club!

He isn’t totally prolific yet but seems to be a good buy for the fans, who are desperate to avoid what would be a harrowing relegation from the top flight.

However, the exclusion of Darren Bent from the squad yet again suggests that Lambert doesn’t figure the poacher in his plans in the Midlands.

So does Bent have a Villa future and who would want him in January?

Baffling decision

Having just recovered from an ankle injury, Bent was left out of the squad to play in Saturday’s dismal 0-0 home draw with Arsenal.

He was expected to return on Tuesday but Lambert decided to not even include him on the bench.

It does seem like a baffling decision, considering that the 29-year-old has an impressive strike rate with all of the clubs he has represented except Tottenham and has amassed over 100 Premier League goals.

Either he doesn’t fit into the style of play Lambert is trying to incorporate, similar to Andy Carroll at Liverpool before his loan move to West Ham or the Scot just isn’t keen on Bent (pictured).

After the game, he fielded the same usual questions which have been thrown to him in the last few weeks.

Reports of the England striker storming off when hearing he hadn’t been selected and away from the ground were scoffed by the former Champions League winner.

Lambert said: "I don’t have a problem with anyone at the club. It is my decision who I pick and who I don’t pick.

“I’ve got a football club to look after and I’m delighted for the team to win again.”

When pressed about a question regarding playing Bent and Benteke together in attack, Lambert said: “Well they did at Southampton.”

Villa lost that game 4-1, so draw your own conclusions to that.

Strike rate

Since his massive £18m move from Sunderland in January 2011, Bent’s scoring record with Villa has been highly impressive.

He averages one goal every two games and is easily the club’s most potent attacking weapon.

These figures are made even more impressive considering his last campaign ended with a serious knee injury in late February that ended his hopes of being selected for Euro 2012.

Bent hasn’t always had the respect or been liked by all managers.

When he missed a sitter at home to Portsmouth once for Tottenham, Harry Redknapp famously said: “That was a terrible miss, even my wife Sandra could have scored that!”

That finished his miserable two-year stint in north London but he scored plenty of goals for a struggling Charlton Athletic side and his goals in 2009-10 kept Sunderland away from relegation trouble.

For a team like Aston Villa that faces a long struggle against the drop this term, surely it would be more dangerous to play someone with Bent’s quality.

His goal record speaks for itself. Although Lambert had regularly denied that there is a rift between the two, a January move away from the Birmingham region is looking more likely.

Considering that he cost so much, the club have to be prepared to take a major hit if he goes on their finances.

With Bent’s recent injury record not good and approaching the wrong side of 30, Villa will be lucky to receive more than around £8m for him.

Gerard Houllier might have just slipped further down Randy Lerner’s Christmas card list.

Where would Bent fit in?

So who in the Premier League could take a striker of Bent’s calibre away from his frustrations at Villa Park?

Liverpool have been linked with a loan move and Brendan Rodgers has said that he will bring in at least two strikers in the January transfer window.

Bent could work well with Luis Suarez if he did move to Anfield but would he fit into Rodgers philosophy of playing style?

The ex-Swansea manager has admitted that he will only bring in players that will fit the way he wants football to be played on Merseyside.

This means that a move for Bent could be possible but certainly is not high on his priority list regarding a striker.

QPR have been mentioned in the gossip columns too but with Redknapp now employed at Loftus Road, the chances of a deal here are now slim to nil.

He won’t return to Sunderland after the way he left the Stadium of Light two years ago was surprising and in bad taste.

Newcastle could take him, considering that Papiss Cisse looks like a completely different player to what he was at the back end of last season and Norwich might see him as a perfect partner for Grant Holt.

What Bent has to realise is that he isn’t young anymore, none of the top clubs in the Premier League will consider a move for him and his chances of getting back into the England reckoning are not great.

With no future seemingly the case at Aston Villa, he needs to move but accept that his days as a leading goalscorer for a potential European chasing side look are over.

By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88