The signing of Darren Bent during the 10/11 season wrong-footed a few Villa fans. Principally, it showed that Lerner hadn’t batten down the hatches when it came to spending post O’Neil. The purchase also gave Gerard Houllier a second chance with Villa supporters, until he squandered it by his FA Cup team selection against Manchester City.
On the pitch, for many, Bent was the man who’s goals vanquished Villa relegation struggle in the final stretch of the season, firing the team up to ninth spot.
Since though, Bent through a mixture of injuries and poor form, has failed to live up to his price-tag, although it’s hoped if he remains at Villa this season, he’ll have plenty of chance to make an impact. But where does his signing fee of £18 million (rising to £24 million) rank in the context of the rest of the clubs in Premiership history?
It seems whenever MOMS publishes a table of historical records on the pitch, transfer spending, agent fees, or even facebook followers, Villa are always in the top five or six. Certainly, that is the level the club should pitch our ambition and expectation.
As the recent MOMS article on Lerner’s spending also showed, Villa’s chairman, financially at least has provided the goods to match what the projection of the club’s ambition should be. It’s just that other decisions, such as manager choices, have gone amiss.
Check out the website Transfer League for a full history of Villa transfers during the history of the Premiership. The above table in this post are taken from there.
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