David Bentley plots move to Champions League club
David Bentley’s ambitions to be England’s first-choice right-winger at the 2010 World Cup will probably lead to his exit from Blackburn. Bentley has begun discussing a new contract with Blackburn but says his top priority is playing regularly in Europe, something that is not guaranteed with Blackburn next season.
David Bentley:
“It’s a big decision in my life at the minute. I want to play European football, I want to play at the top of my game. I want to go to the World Cup in two years and I want to be starting – so sometimes you have to make strong decisions, we’ll have to see what happens.Time will tell over the next few months what will happen. I’m speaking to Blackburn at the minute but you never know in football what’s going to happen.”
There’s no shortage of confidence in the Blackburn player though:
“I’m in the early stages of my England career. I’m going to have to work hard, it’s up to me to take the position. There’s a lot of good players in this country. But if I perform then I believe I can take it, so we’ll have to see.”
In the one England game I’ve seen him play (the one against Switzerland), Bentley improved as the game went on and finished on a high note, with his runs and passing adding a new creative dimension to the England setup.
His downfall might be that he’s engineered to be the all-rounder – not as fast as Shaun Wright-Phillips or Aaron Lennon and not as good a crosser or passer as David Beckham, but good enough in both areas to start for England.
I also doubt that moving to a big club will give him a better chance at an England call-up, although the added European exposure would certainly help. With Arsenal having rejected him and Manchester United and Chelsea not reported to be interested (although if he moves to Manchester United he’ll be a good backup for Ronaldo), Liverpool and Everton (or even Tottenham) may be his best options when it comes to regular European adventures. And even then, a man of Bentley’s ambitions would not be content with just playing in the Uefa Cup – if he wants to be considered good enough to start for England, he will probably need to prove himself in the Champions League first.
And speaking of hard decisions – he might just make the leap abroad to a Champions League club in Spain or Italy where the pace may suit him better.
So where do you think David Bentley would move to – one of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United or abroad?
This dude had the chance at Arsenal. I thought he just wanted to play. So it matters to be good enough to play in a top club afterall. The rich irony of him just 2 weeks ago advising Theo Walcott to leave Arsenal. Well guess what. Theo already has 12+ Champions League appearances and 3 goals. How many do you have Mr. Bentley?
How nice to see Arsenal fans showing the world their usual pleasant demeanour and generous helpings of personality.
But yes. Bentley isn’t good enough for Chelsea or Man U, so I’m guessing he can join the long queue of successful wingers at Liverpool. Y’know, like Zenden. Or Kewell. Or Aurelio. Or Babel. Months on the bench, and £50k a week. Bargain.
Well said Ole. This misserable excuse for a human being has had too much press support for his disloyalty. Even Arsene has been too quite about this snide and his lies.
Once and for all we do not want this spoilt brat back. just like we never want anything to do with Cashley anymore ie; if you cant wait to make it at the worlds best club you can settle for the Chelski’s or Spuds or anyone else who rates you.
this guy has an amazingly over-inflated opinion of his abilities .. I reckon he is conceited and lacks character .. given the rubbish he has been spewing out about arsenal, I would not want him in my dressing room, and he is really not that good .. just wait and see his career fizz and pop to nothing .. eventually ..
mindless gooner bias aside, he’s a lot better player than you guys give him credit for.
Really, Gooner fan or not, this guy should be an example to kids. All he had to do was be patient for one or two seasons, complete his training and he’d have almost certainly made the Arsenal team. But he felt he was a mini-god or something. Now he’s realising that the Blackburn years are maybe a waste as regards to where he wants to be. He could have already been a veteran for us by now. Look at Cesc.
if he is really good, how about a queue of foreign teams to snap him up .. or he could just settle for ateam about to go places in spain, italy, germany, france .. I bet u if does any of the above, he will certainly fail because he is not that good .. and he knows it .. he needs to remain in england, make silly press noises like this, and when in need of publicity, spew out some more rubbish about arsenal .. the arsenal hating press just love him for it .. ungrateful and graceless turd ..
Cesc is a one-off.
go to real madrid man, you will do great things there, you dont need to be fast to score, ask raul lol
I think bentley is a very good right winger and would do great things for a club like liverpool, who are in need of a pure right winger. That would allow Kuyt to play in his natural position as a striker, most probably cominf off the bench.
one goal for the arsenal when coming as sub against middsbro in place of bergkamp then he told he should be instead of bergkamp dennis played for another four seasons letting bently see that he bentley would never be good enough to lace dennis’s boots now he is mouthing off again stephen hunt of reading has it right he says bentley is not maradona it’s all hype
As a United fan, I think Bentley could perhaps make it to the United bench in case we sell Ji Sung Park, or if he is injured for a very long time. Otherwise he will only be 3rd choice winger, and will have to prove himself good enough to be on the bench in each game through sheer struggling.
Liverpool may take him, which seems more likely than United snapping him up since they are playing a striker cum right winger named Kuyt at right wing and Pennant isnt exactly the most consistent player in the world is he?
Rob its funny you have compared Babel to Zenden Kewell and Aurelio. When Babel has already had a better season than Mr Ronaldo’s first season or Drogbas. Babel has killer penitration and in a few years when his delivery and fittness improve i hope you remember what you said
On subject i do rate David Bentley and i do think Liverpool will get him although i dont like his reason for wanting to leave. He wants to improve his chances with England? is that a fucking joke? If Torres had of said I want to move to Liverpool to improve my chances with spain then id said fuck him.
As i said i do rate him but not good enough for Liverpool. Although i do think we will buy him.
Liverpool should be trying to buy Riberys and Robinhos not Bentleys!!
Liverpool fan…. that is an absolutely preposterous statement about Babel’s first season vs. Ronaldo’s.
First off… Babel’s first season came when he was already past the age of 20, Ronaldo’s in his teens.
Second off… Babel’s had absolutely no impact this year. Ronaldo was inserted as a replacement for Beckham, and performed admirably, despite being only a teenager.
Babel will be a phenomenal player as he develops, but don’t rewrite history to make him one now.
okay…bentley does have an inflated head but lets face it man, the kid is good… and he plays really well…hes been the player of the season at blackburn and has shown that he can strike a ball beautifully and doesnt mind taking a defender on. Hes definately among the better wingers in england and the fact that he started his career as a striker shows his versatility. If he wants to stay in England, then Liverpool,tottenham or everton are the places for him.I think hes good enough to suceed at the highest level if you ask me..and well yeah real madrid maybe an okay place for him but it’ll be difficult for him to be on the first time, with arjen robben among the competition. Maybe he can look at a club like valencia or someplace. I think liverpool is the best place for him…and I’m sure he’ll be pretty succesfull there..more so than then the kewells..
Im not making him out to be a superstar I know Ronaldo was younger but i am simply saying Babel is at the level you would expect a world class winger to be at his first season with a new club
benteley is not a natural winger his best position is in the bergakamp role.in a few years time i can see him playing there
Well, Scousers, you believe what you like about David Bentley.
In later news: some Scouse no-mark makes the case for Dirk Kuyt’s inclusion in the FA team of the year.
Who cares what he says, he does the business on the park and you cant dispute his quality. I’d take him at the pool in a heartbeat.
david bentley will and always stay and play for blackburn rovers..he’s one of the “engine” in blackburn team..