 |
| Fulham target man Marcus Bent of Ipswich Town |
| Position |
Attacker |
| DOB |
19/05/1978 |
| P.O.B. |
Hammersmith |
| Height |
6' 0" |
| Weight |
12st 0lb |
| Last Club |
Ipswich |
| |
| Ipswich Town Official Site |
Fulham are bidding to resurrect a deal to buy Ipswich striker Marcus Bent before the transfer deadline at the end of the month.
Manager Jean Tigana is still keen to add the former England Under-21 international to his squad despite having a recent cash plus Barry Hayles bid rejected.
Ipswich want around £5 million for the Hammersmith-born player and are interested only in a straight cash deal.
But Tigana's budget for this season means he has to sell before he can buy and attempts to move out Hayles and midfielder Eddie Lewis have failed.
Bent, 24, scored nine goals in 25 appearances for Ipswich in the Premiership last season and Fulham want him to bolster their striking options after the team struggled for goals last term.
The former Blackburn forward opened his account for the current campaign with a spectacular overhead kick in Ipswich's opening day win over Walsall, but has not played since because of a hamstring injury.
Manager George Burley is understood to be ready to part with the 24-year-old but is looking to cut his wage bill and wants a straight cash deal.
With West Brom manager Gary Megson admitting he still needs to strengthen his squad, Tigana will be hoping The Baggies follow up their tentative interest in striker Hayles.
Comments from Official Ipswich Site
Bent started his career in League football as a teenager with Brentford, making his debut against Shrewsbury in the 1995-96 season. Went on to make 70 League appearances for the Bees before moving to Crystal Palace in a £150,000 move in January 1998. Five goals in 28 League games for the Eagles was enough for them to double their money on the lively striker a year later, with Port Vale taking him to the Potteries in a £375,000 move. But it was at Sheffield United that he really established himself as a goalscorer. He joined the Blades in October 1999 and finished top scorer for the club with 15 League goals in 32 matches that season.
Three months in to the 1999/2000 campaign, with a record of 20 goals in 48 League games, First Division promotion chasers Blackburn splashed out £1.3m to take him to Ewood Park. He was a regular in the side that finished runners-up to Fulham, scoring eight goals in 28 games that term before joining Town for an undisclosed fee in November 2001. Capped by England at Under-21 level, he made his two appearances alongside Richard Wright and Kieron Dyer against South Africa and Argentina in 1998.
He made his Town debut at Middlesbrough and grabbed his first goal for the Club in the Boxing Day win over Leicester and followed that up with two more in the 3-2 defeat at Charlton. Scored his first Cup goal in the defeat by Manchester City. His winner against Fulham in January was the fourth successive Premiership game he had scored in and helped him pick up the Barclaycard Premiership Player of the Month for January, as well as the TXU Player of the Month award.