Bentley - On the Move In The Summer?

[Optimistic Nut]

Bentley is exactly the sort of big fish in small pond type player we should be going for, instead of squad players off the big four or the old G14 clubs.

 

What was Bentley just before he signed for Blackburn.

[Thespence]

Bentley is exactly the sort of big fish in small pond type player we should be going for, instead of squad players off the big four or the old G14 clubs.

 

What was Bentley just before he signed for Blackburn.

 

I dont think he was even a regular squad player at Arsenal;). I dont minds us buying there kids as that has less risk per pound.

[brummie]

All depends on who's in for him tbh. I could see any of the big four being interested but none will guarentee him first time football. That doesn't mean he'll not go to one of them though, I think depsite his exit from Arsenal he would still be tempted to have another go at a top 4 club.

 

Assuming none of them make a bid, then IMO he'll still be off. If Spurs have an offer accepted for him, there's a good chance he'll end up there. Even if they qualify for the UEFA cup again, I don't think Everton have the money or the glamour to attract him , despite their respectable performances in the league for the last few years, they are still not a club that players feel honoured to have joined.

Both Villa and Man City need Europe to attract him and he's not going to leave Blackburn to go to clubs like Portsmouth or West Ham.

 

So for us, we have that glamour, that mystique, that despite what they do in the league clubs like Villa, Man City and Everton just can't match. In the last few years Spurs have rebuilt that glamour too, so I could see him going there if they make a bid, but if they can't match the fee or his wages then I think we'll have as good a chance as any outside the top 4.

 

 

 

I know everyone thinks their club is the best but come on, get real please. It's not 1996, there is nothing special to an outsider about Newcastle United these days.

 

I have to agree. What glamour? What mystique? This is not the mid 90s any more. Bentley would have been, what, 10 years old then? Footballers these days just want to play at the highest level. If you're not in the CL, there's a fucking huge gap to bridge.

 

The only club outside the top four with a chance of signing him, imho, is Spurs, and that is because they are in London, which is more of a factor these days than it was before. And that's still asking him to put his faith in a club which is struggling to break the top half of the table, let alone the Champions League.

 

 

[fredbob]

All depends on who's in for him tbh. I could see any of the big four being interested but none will guarentee him first time football. That doesn't mean he'll not go to one of them though, I think depsite his exit from Arsenal he would still be tempted to have another go at a top 4 club.

 

Assuming none of them make a bid, then IMO he'll still be off. If Spurs have an offer accepted for him, there's a good chance he'll end up there. Even if they qualify for the UEFA cup again, I don't think Everton have the money or the glamour to attract him , despite their respectable performances in the league for the last few years, they are still not a club that players feel honoured to have joined.

Both Villa and Man City need Europe to attract him and he's not going to leave Blackburn to go to clubs like Portsmouth or West Ham.

 

So for us, we have that glamour, that mystique, that despite what they do in the league clubs like Villa, Man City and Everton just can't match. In the last few years Spurs have rebuilt that glamour too, so I could see him going there if they make a bid, but if they can't match the fee or his wages then I think we'll have as good a chance as any outside the top 4.

 

 

 

I know everyone thinks their club is the best but come on, get real please. It's not 1996, there is nothing special to an outsider about Newcastle United these days.

 

I have to agree. What glamour? What mystique? This is not the mid 90s any more. Bentley would have been, what, 10 years old then? Footballers these days just want to play at the highest level. If you're not in the CL, there's a f****** huge gap to bridge.

 

The only club outside the top four with a chance of signing him, imho, is Spurs, and that is because they are in London, which is more of a factor

 

 

 

To be fair i think Villa have an outside chance of getting him as well, they seem to be a club definitively on the up with a good manager a good squad recognized for its english talent and a good owner also Euro qualification definitively isnt out thequestion next year as wel.

 

Villa would be my wild card, Spurs are definitively a viable option as well, but Nufc have no chance whatsoever.

[brummie]

All depends on who's in for him tbh. I could see any of the big four being interested but none will guarentee him first time football. That doesn't mean he'll not go to one of them though, I think depsite his exit from Arsenal he would still be tempted to have another go at a top 4 club.

 

Assuming none of them make a bid, then IMO he'll still be off. If Spurs have an offer accepted for him, there's a good chance he'll end up there. Even if they qualify for the UEFA cup again, I don't think Everton have the money or the glamour to attract him , despite their respectable performances in the league for the last few years, they are still not a club that players feel honoured to have joined.

Both Villa and Man City need Europe to attract him and he's not going to leave Blackburn to go to clubs like Portsmouth or West Ham.

 

So for us, we have that glamour, that mystique, that despite what they do in the league clubs like Villa, Man City and Everton just can't match. In the last few years Spurs have rebuilt that glamour too, so I could see him going there if they make a bid, but if they can't match the fee or his wages then I think we'll have as good a chance as any outside the top 4.

 

 

 

I know everyone thinks their club is the best but come on, get real please. It's not 1996, there is nothing special to an outsider about Newcastle United these days.

 

I have to agree. What glamour? What mystique? This is not the mid 90s any more. Bentley would have been, what, 10 years old then? Footballers these days just want to play at the highest level. If you're not in the CL, there's a f****** huge gap to bridge.

 

The only club outside the top four with a chance of signing him, imho, is Spurs, and that is because they are in London, which is more of a factor

 

 

 

To be fair i think Villa have an outside chance of getting him as well, they seem to be a club definitively on the up with a good manager a good squad recognized for its english talent and a good owner also Euro qualification definitively isnt out thequestion next year as wel.

 

Villa would be my wild card, Spurs are definitively a viable option as well, but Nufc have no chance whatsoever.

 

Villa have no chance of getting him.

 

From what he said earlier, he wants CL football.

 

This is what I think will happen. Villa need a right sided midfielder. Bentley will join Liverpool. Pennant will join Villa. Or, as an outside bet, Pennant will join Newcastle and Milner will join Villa (although this latter option is thrown in only out of 'wouldnt it be funny')

[Rich]

We have to at least try, I suppose. He's the sort of player we should be going for if he's available.

 

Don't count anything out, Keegan's return has taught me that this season...

[Mowen]

We have to at least try, I suppose. He's the sort of player we should be going for if he's available.

 

Don't count anything out, Keegan's return has taught me that this season...

 

Exactamundo

[fredbob]

All depends on who's in for him tbh. I could see any of the big four being interested but none will guarentee him first time football. That doesn't mean he'll not go to one of them though, I think depsite his exit from Arsenal he would still be tempted to have another go at a top 4 club.

 

Assuming none of them make a bid, then IMO he'll still be off. If Spurs have an offer accepted for him, there's a good chance he'll end up there. Even if they qualify for the UEFA cup again, I don't think Everton have the money or the glamour to attract him , despite their respectable performances in the league for the last few years, they are still not a club that players feel honoured to have joined.

Both Villa and Man City need Europe to attract him and he's not going to leave Blackburn to go to clubs like Portsmouth or West Ham.

 

So for us, we have that glamour, that mystique, that despite what they do in the league clubs like Villa, Man City and Everton just can't match. In the last few years Spurs have rebuilt that glamour too, so I could see him going there if they make a bid, but if they can't match the fee or his wages then I think we'll have as good a chance as any outside the top 4.

 

 

 

I know everyone thinks their club is the best but come on, get real please. It's not 1996, there is nothing special to an outsider about Newcastle United these days.

 

I have to agree. What glamour? What mystique? This is not the mid 90s any more. Bentley would have been, what, 10 years old then? Footballers these days just want to play at the highest level. If you're not in the CL, there's a f****** huge gap to bridge.

 

The only club outside the top four with a chance of signing him, imho, is Spurs, and that is because they are in London, which is more of a factor

 

 

 

To be fair i think Villa have an outside chance of getting him as well, they seem to be a club definitively on the up with a good manager a good squad recognized for its english talent and a good owner also Euro qualification definitively isnt out thequestion next year as wel.

 

Villa would be my wild card, Spurs are definitively a viable option as well, but Nufc have no chance whatsoever.

 

Villa have no chance of getting him.

 

From what he said earlier, he wants CL football.

 

This is what I think will happen. Villa need a right sided midfielder. Bentley will join Liverpool. Pennant will join Villa. Or, as an outside bet, Pennant will join Newcastle and Milner will join Villa (although this latter option is thrown in only out of 'wouldnt it be funny')

 

I personally think his primary motive is on England rahter than CL, if he was that desperate for CL unless he already knows someting then i cant see the sense in essentially limiting himself to 1  CL club Liverpool, and one London club(Spurs), i can see him looking at the english talent the Villa squad have, the direction the club is definitively going and think its a smart move for his England career.

 

The monopoly that the top 4 have on the CL means that english players have to make there repuatation at international level in order to get a look in at CL level, rather than it being the other way round.

 

He seems like a smart ambitiuos guy, i can see him eeing sense in the move.

[NG32]

What about picking Diouf up on the cheap if Bolton go down?

 

[Optimistic Nut]

If it's Champions League football he wants, I'm sure someone like Villarreal would be a good move. No way they could offer him the wages he'd want like, but if it's CL football that matters so much to him, let him go somewhere like those, or somewhere else abroad...or is the sound of the pound what really matters.

[Mowen]

He'll be looking for the £££ and a high profile imo, neither of which Blackburn can offer. If he's still cutting the mustard with a higher level of pressure and a number of quality players around him, he'll be starting for England.

[Optimistic Nut]

He'll be looking for the £££ and a high profile imo, neither of which Blackburn can offer. If he's still cutting the mustard with a higher level of pressure and a number of quality players around him, he'll be starting for England.

 

Even more reason to go abroad then. I'm sure it would impress Capello.

[Mowen]

He'll be looking for the £££ and a high profile imo, neither of which Blackburn can offer. If he's still cutting the mustard with a higher level of pressure and a number of quality players around him, he'll be starting for England.

 

Even more reason to go abroad then. I'm sure it would impress Capello.

 

Probably sounds like a bit too much hard work... especially when he'll have English teams throwing money at him.

[Optimistic Nut]

He'll be looking for the £££ and a high profile imo, neither of which Blackburn can offer. If he's still cutting the mustard with a higher level of pressure and a number of quality players around him, he'll be starting for England.

 

Even more reason to go abroad then. I'm sure it would impress Capello.

 

Probably sounds like a bit too much hard work... especially when he'll have English teams throwing money at him.

 

Probably the likes of Spurs, City, Newcastle...the only Champions League club who might go anywhere near him is Liverpool.

[Mowen]

Yeah, I know. What I'm saying is that the money might impress him enough, and just earning more money with a bigger profile will keep all eyes on him. He might be at Newcastle, but if he's Newcastle's £16m signing who's going to propel them up the table and he delivers to the level that is expected he will be in the England team for some time to come. If it doesn't look like a CL team would come in for him that could well sway him imo.

[Optimistic Nut]

Yeah, I know. What I'm saying is that the money might impress him enough, and just earning more money with a bigger profile will keep all eyes on him. He might be at Newcastle, but if he's Newcastle's £16m signing who's going to propel them up the table and he delivers to the level that is expected he will be in the England team for some time to come. If it doesn't look like a CL team would come in for him that could well sway him imo.

 

That's what I mean though, Champions League football is a crap excuse if he ends up at one of those clubs rather than Liverpool or a foreign club. Not that I'd moan, think he's a class player.

[Mowen]

I concur. I'd be right fucked off if he ended up at Villa though

[Guest Spurs_from_Africa]

If he is serious about becoming a mainstay in the England team, a move abroad may be his best option. As others have said, the curent top 4 monopoly means no club outside the top four are in any way guaranteed champions league football, whether that be us, Villa, Everton, Pompey or Newcastle in a few years time if they are run properly. In spain however, the league is a lot more open. Sevilla, Athletico, Villarreal and to a lesser extent Espanyol have all been having a damn good crack at the top 4, and with Valencia imploding, Real and Barca not in top form, the league itself may be up for grabs. Maybe a move to Athletico or Villarreal could do him some good. Or maybe Fenerbache

 

However much we spin it though, a move to any of our clubs would constitute at best a sideways step. Next season we will have been in Europe for 3 seasons running, we have a great manager, we are in London and just won a trophy. But Blackburn are above this season, after our truly abysmal start and their squad aren't exactly poor are they? They also have an excellent manager. Villa have a reputation of allowing their englishmen to play, have an excellent manager, good chairman and are higher than Blackburn. But no Europe is a possibility this season. Newcastle are moving up but I think Bentley will want to see how KK does in a whole season before he considers moving there. Everton possibly, but do they have the money?

 

And I think some of you are being slightly harsh on the UEFA. True, the group stages are a joke but this season, there have been some excellent teams in there, and it looks like there may be some even better ones next season.

[Mowen]

It might be a sideways step, but like I said, being a club like Spurs or Newcastle or even Everton's big money signing to elevate them to the next level will mean the spotlight, and massive pressure, is going to be on him. It's unlikely, but not infeasible.

[Optimistic Nut]

 

And I think some of you are being slightly harsh on the UEFA. True, the group stages are a joke but this season, there have been some excellent teams in there, and it looks like there may be some even better ones next season.

 

Come on, we've been there, done that, and apart from the last 16 stage on, it's crap. Do you really think the prospect of 4-6 games later on in the season is REALLY going to be a major draw for a player to play the likes of Sporting Lisbon, PSV & Rangers?

[Guest Spurs_from_Africa]

 

And I think some of you are being slightly harsh on the UEFA. True, the group stages are a joke but this season, there have been some excellent teams in there, and it looks like there may be some even better ones next season.

 

Come on, we've been there, done that, and apart from the last 16 stage on, it's crap. Do you really think the prospect of 4-6 games later on in the season is REALLY going to be a major draw for a player to play the likes of Sporting Lisbon, PSV & Rangers?

 

As I said, the earlier stages are a joke. But this season, you had Bayern, Benfica, PSV, Fiorentina, Sporting, Athletico etc. Next season there could be the likes of Milan, Sevilla and Valencia. Obviously not as big a draw as the champions league but if given the choice between no europe and uefa, I think most players would choose uefa.

[dustynrg]

He's a Billy Bigtime with an ego to match, he'll think anything out of the "top 4" is beneath him. He wants dosh and plenty of it. Arsenal is out, Man U won't want him (because of his Bilybigtime ego) so that leaves Liverpool or Chelsea. There is no way he would come here, unless of course we don't lose a game from now till May and we show some ambition for what we're going to be like next season. But I'd bet anything he thinks he's too good for us, or Villa, or Everton. I doubt Spurs would be interested in him because I think they'll get rid of a lot of their English players and buy in cheaper Europeans.

 

If Grant is still in a job in the summer I think he'll go there.

[Guest michaelfoster]

What about picking Diouf up on the cheap if Bolton go down?

 

 

No thanks, Doiuf overrated and a c*nt of the highest order.

[Luc]

What about picking Diouf up on the cheap if Bolton go down?

 

 

No thanks, Doiuf overrated and a c*nt of the highest order.

[afar]

All depends on who's in for him tbh. I could see any of the big four being interested but none will guarentee him first time football. That doesn't mean he'll not go to one of them though, I think depsite his exit from Arsenal he would still be tempted to have another go at a top 4 club.

 

Assuming none of them make a bid, then IMO he'll still be off. If Spurs have an offer accepted for him, there's a good chance he'll end up there. Even if they qualify for the UEFA cup again, I don't think Everton have the money or the glamour to attract him , despite their respectable performances in the league for the last few years, they are still not a club that players feel honoured to have joined.

Both Villa and Man City need Europe to attract him and he's not going to leave Blackburn to go to clubs like Portsmouth or West Ham.

 

So for us, we have that glamour, that mystique, that despite what they do in the league clubs like Villa, Man City and Everton just can't match. In the last few years Spurs have rebuilt that glamour too, so I could see him going there if they make a bid, but if they can't match the fee or his wages then I think we'll have as good a chance as any outside the top 4.

 

 

 

I know everyone thinks their club is the best but come on, get real please. It's not 1996, there is nothing special to an outsider about Newcastle United these days.

 

I have to agree. What glamour? What mystique? This is not the mid 90s any more. Bentley would have been, what, 10 years old then? Footballers these days just want to play at the highest level. If you're not in the CL, there's a f****** huge gap to bridge.

 

The only club outside the top four with a chance of signing him, imho, is Spurs, and that is because they are in London, which is more of a factor these days than it was before. And that's still asking him to put his faith in a club which is struggling to break the top half of the table, let alone the Champions League.

 

 

 

 

Mock all you want but I still stand by the statement that Newcastle United is a bigger pull than the likes of Villa or Everton. We still have that Mystique, whether you like it or not,  that your clubs just can't match. The media is actually a good barometer for this. TBH the goings on at Villa or Everton hardly register on the interest level but when the tea lady at NUFC sneezes there's a story written about it.

 

Did Milner almost go to Villa as a step up ? What about Nobby's remarks when he returned, having been at both clubs he knew damn fine which one was the bigger.

Arteta's complaing in the papers today that he would be in the Spain squad if he played for a bigger club.

 

Spurs are the only team outside the top four that is a bigger draw than us at the moment. Most people inside and outside of football reguard the likes of Villa and Everton as also rans, they are not in the foreseeable future going to challenge for the major honours. While the likes of Spurs and ourselves have the potential under the right circumstances to break the top 4 dominance. Villa and Everton are very much "so what" clubs in my mind. That may sound condersending but I really don't give a damn what happens to them unfortunately for you guys my feeling is not uncommon.

 

Leaving out any previous support for their club and assuming both clubs are in Europe or not in Europe, the player has no preference for which manager he plays for or area he  lives in and the same assurances have been given on first team football. Do you honestly think most players would choose Villa or Everton over Newcastle ? I seriously doubt that would be the case, in fact I would be a little embarrased if I were a supporter of one of those clubs that despite NUFC atrocious form over the last few seasons and the upturn in form shown my own team, that my club still can not out draw them !!