Opta Audit: Darren Bent
Opta take an in-depth look at Tottenham target, Charlton striker Darren Bent.
It seems increasingly likely that Darren Bent will opt to make the short move across the River Thames from Charlton Athletic to Tottenham this summer. The England forward has already attracted a firm bid from West Ham United but chose to decline the offer. The chance to move to Martin Jol's top five outfit seems to tempt the former Ipswich man a little more, however.This Opta audit compares Bent's performances for the Addicks last season with those of the three main Tottenham forwards in 2006/07, and the results are interesting.
Firstly, looking at goals and the regularity of them, it is apparent that Robbie Keane was the main man last season. The Irish striker scored a goal every 150 minutes on average, making him far more predatory than Bent or Dimitar Berbatov. In their defence, however, the latter pair played much more often and both were the undoubted fulcrum in their respective side's attack. Furthermore, Bent outscored all of the Spurs strikers in 2006-07, despite playing for a side that finished second bottom.
| Player | Goals | Mins per goal |
| Robbie Keane | 11 | 150.1 |
| Jermain Defoe | 10 | 192.8 |
| Darren Bent | 13 | 220.5 |
| Dimitar Berbatov | 12 | 226.4 |
Berbatov gained a fearsome reputation in his first season in English football and much of that was due to the decisive impact he made on games. As seen in the table below, the Bulgarian scored four match-winning goals last season, one more than Keane and Bent managed.
| Player | Winning goals |
| Dimitar Berbatov | 4 |
| Robbie Keane | 3 |
| Darren Bent | 3 |
| Jermain Defoe | 2 |
When it came to chances, Bent took exactly one in five last campaign, an excellent return. The only striker at Tottenham to better that was Keane who converted a superb 29% of his opportunities, truly a great return from the Irishman. Jermain Defoe, rumoured to be leaving Spurs if Bent arrives, had the poorest goals-to-shots ratio of the four players in this study.
| Player | Chance Conversion |
| Robbie Keane | 29% |
| Darren Bent | 20% |
| Dimitar Berbatov | 15% |
| Jermain Defoe | 14% |
Finally we look at creativity, where Berbatov was peerless, having created nine goals for Spurs, including four for Defoe and two for Keane. Bent managed only one for Charlton but the Addicks were virtually a one-man team in 2006-07 with the onus on Bent to score the goals, not create them.
| Player | Goal Assists |
| Dimitar Berbatov | 9 |
| Robbie Keane | 2 |
| Darren Bent | 1 |
| Jermain Defoe | 0 |
In conclusion, it seems clear that Darren Bent would be a quality addition to the Tottenham squad, though it seems infeasible that Spurs could also keep Berbatov, Keane and Defoe on the roster. If Bent does sign then it seems likely that his England colleague Defoe could be set for an exit.
