Bent: I´ll be ´public enemy´ in Sunderland

Aston Villa’s new record signing Darren Bent intends to lay low until the anger has subsided following his abrupt departure from Sunderland.

Bent, 26, joined Villa on Tuesday in a surprise move worth between 17 and 24 million pounds after rocking the Sunderland hierarchy by handing in a transfer request.

With Sunderland fans enraged at losing their leading goal-scorer mid-way through a promising English Premier League season, the noted user of social networking website Twitter will not risk sharing his thoughts just yet.

“While it’s fresh in everyone’s mind I’m going to be public enemy number one up there,” Bent said.

“I’m sorry it ended the way it did. I won’t be Twittering for a few days. I can imagine that I’m getting annihilated by the Sunderland fans.”

“Once the dust settles, I’m sure they will remember me for more than just the way I left. I had two great years at Sunderland and I hope that’s how people remember me up there, playing well and scoring goals for them.”

“They are having their best season for a long time in the league and I’m sure they think I’m just abandoning them. But these opportunities don’t come around too often.”

“Some people said my mind got turned and my form dipped, but I don’t believe it. All strikers go through periods when you score goals and don’t score goals.”

Bent is now the most cumulatively expensive British footballer, with career transfers totalling approximately 53 million pounds. But he rejected accusations that he is a mercenary.

“It does hurt to be honest,” Bent said.

“When I was at Charlton I could have gone to West Ham for double but I chose for footballing reasons to go to Tottenham. I am sure people will have opinions on why I have joined Villa given where they are (17th in the league).”

“But I believe Villa are in a false position and it’s a massive football club with massive tradition and massive history.”

The good news kept coming for Villa fans, with manager Gerard Houllier declaring that Ashley Young and Stewart Downing were ‘not for sale’.

“He will be a tremendous asset,” Houllier said of star signing Bent.

“This is a great day for our fans and a major milestone for Aston Villa football club.”

“Obviously if you buy a player of that calibre that means the chairman is backing you.”