http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1127091/EXCLUSIVE-Spurs-offer-striker-Bent-plus-6m-bait-Sunderland-hitman-Jones.html?ITO=1490
EXCLUSIVE: Spurs offer striker Bent plus £6m as bait for Sunderland hitman Jones
By Simon Jones
Last updated at 12:53 AM on 24th January 2009
Sunderland are in talks to sell Kenwyne Jones to Tottenham and receive £6million cash plus Darren Bent.
The deal has been mooted before but Tottenham were unwilling to match Sunderland’s £15m valuation of Jones and Bent was unsure if it was in his best interests to move to the North-East.
But the deal has been revived, with Spurs offering cash and Bent keen to make a fresh start after stinging criticism from manager Harry Redknapp.
Spurs will offer Sunderland £6million plus Darren Bent (left) for striker Kenwyne Jones
Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia is reluctant to lose Jones, 24, but the offer of cash plus an England striker is tempting, particularly as Bent was on their summer wish-list.
It would also represent a huge profit on a player Sunderland bought for £6m from Southampton 18 months ago.
Bent, 24, started the season with 12 goals but has failed to score in his last seven games and realises he will not be first choice under Redknapp.
He was also upset when Redknapp claimed his wife could have scored a header the striker missed against Portsmouth.
end
As I said last week not seen the last of this. The only difference in the last couple of days is Sbragia gave an interview which he was going on about he was not sure whether a player had his head turned with all the speculation and he would have to wait and see. He obviously didn't name the player and the only ones linked with bids are Kenwyne, Diouf, Richardson and Chimbonda. I am sorry can't find the interview at the minute and I am paraphrasing it a bit but that was the general gist, the general feeling is that it was Kenwyne he was speaking about.
My thoughts haven't really changed, if Kenwyne wants to go the club should let him providing the price is right simply because you are unsure what you are going to get for the rest of the season, some players shrug their shoulders and get on with it without any noticeable difference others just go through the motions. I am not suggesting Kenwyne would do that I am just saying I don't know. It would leave the club with only 1 way of playing given Cisse and Bent are similar types and no time for a replacement. The Bent plus cash is no doubt to make up the additional cost of Bents wages over Kenwyne's to the club, not sure but just a guess and I still think Spurs would be the wrong choice for him.
In a different paper Bent is being swapped with Carlton Cole so you pays your money and takes your choice.
Sorry but this just appeared so you takes your choice on which version you believe, personally having seen Redknapp for a number of years do this it isn't him for me.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/tottenham/article5594062.ece
Harry Redknapp angered by Sunderland tactics
Tottenham Hotspur manager accuses the Wearside club of double standards over their bid to sign striker Darren Bent
Harry Redknapp accused Sunderland of double standards last night over their attempts to sign Darren Bent. The Tottenham Hotspur manager reacted angrily to Sunderland's charge that the North London club had led a concerted attempt to unsettle Kenwyne Jones by alleging that the Wearside club had pursued their interest in Bent without Spurs' knowledge and approval.
Tottenham, who entertain Stoke City at White Hart Lane tonight, had offered Bent in part exchange for Jones, the Trinidad & Tobago striker, during discussions between the clubs two weeks ago, but the deal appeared to have died when Sunderland insisted that Jones was not for sale. However, Redknapp claimed that Sunderland have been speaking to Bent's representatives about a possible transfer, after being told so by the forward.
“Darren came to see me to say, ‘I hear Sunderland want me, what do you know?'” Redknapp said. “I said, ‘I haven't spoken to anyone and if they are interested they will have to ring the chairman.' He said, ‘Well, my agent says they want me.' So someone is talking to someone. I could say they [Sunderland] have done the same thing to Darren Bent because his agent has obviously been talking to someone at Sunderland to know they are interested. So if they are mentioning Darren Bent, why are they mentioning Darren Bent? Is someone upsetting Darren Bent?”
The wrangle will strain further Redknapp's relationship with Bent, who was angered when his manager joked that his wife could have scored with the kind of free header that the striker missed against Portsmouth nine days ago.
Redknapp said that the club were encouraged to show interest in Jones because Sunderland had sent out mixed signals about the player's future. Tottenham were reported to have been prepared to pay £15 million for the player, who had moved from Southampton to Sunderland for £6million at the beginning of last season, but that deal appears to be dead. “Last night he [Daniel Levy, the Tottenham chairman] thought that Jones had signed a new contract at Sunderland, so I think the deal's off,” Redknapp said.
Responding to suggestions that Spurs had sought to unsettle Jones, Redknapp said that there had been discussions about a deal between the two chairmen. “I don't know why Niall Quinn is talking to Daniel if they don't want to sell him,” Redknapp said. “Why do you talk to someone if you don't want to sell someone?”
Jones is among a number of forwards whom Tottenham have tried unsuccessfully to sign, with the club drawing a blank in their efforts to lure Carlton Cole and Craig Bellamy to White Hart Lane.
Redknapp remains keen on Fred, the Brazil striker, whose agents have claimed that Tottenham have offered the player a 4-year contract worth £50,000 a week to sign from Lyons. The French side hope to receive £8million, with clubs in Spain interested, despite him being out of contract this summer.
Tottenham have, however, signed Pascal Chimbonda, the full back, from Sunderland and Carlo Cudicini, the goalkeeper, on a free transfer from Chelsea yesterday. Cudicini could make his debut against Stoke this evening because Heurelho Gomes is a doubt with a thigh injury. Chimbonda was not registered in time to play and Wilson Palacios, the midfield player who joined from Wigan Athletic last week, is suspended.
Stoke have used a four-day training camp in Dubai to integrate James Beattie, the forward, and Matthew Etherington, the former Tottenham left winger, who were signed this month. Both clubs are among the five teams languishing on 21 points at the foot of the table.
Tottenham Hotspur (possible; 4-4-2): C Cudicini — V Corluka, M Dawson, J Woodgate, B Assou-Ekotto — A Lennon, T Huddlestone, D Zokora, L Modric — J Defoe, R Pavlyuchenko.
Stoke City (possible; 4-4-2): T Sorensen — A Wilkinson, R Shawcross, Abdoulaye Faye, D Higginbotham — R Delap, G Whelan, Amdy Faye, M Etherington — R Cresswell, J Beattie.
Referee: M Riley.