Forget the 35 mil, that was a one off, is he a good premier striker, many think yes including the England manager, Liverpool manager and many more. Is he a handful for defenders who makes chances, yes, can he score, yes, is he still young, yes, would he be a great addition to our squad, yes. It will never but I think if you take away his Newcastle past many would love him, his past would not bother me.
But Bent's past would? I agree with every word you've said here, syd. Indeed, I think that's the sort of professional view that Bruce and Quinn will take. But if Villa went down and we put in a bid for a striker with a 5 year proven record (as opposed to Carroll's six month record), where would you stand? Would his past bother you then?