CHIGWELL: Tottenham continued the rebuilding of their attack on Thursday when they completed the signing of England winger David Bentley from Blackburn.
Having sold Robbie Keane to Liverpool this week, Tottenham paid their Premier League rivals what could turn out to be a club-record transfer fee to add 23-year-old Bentley.
Tottenham said on Thursday that they had agreed to pay Blackburn £15mil (US$29.7mil).
The fee could, however, rise to £17mil (US$33.7mil) depending upon Bentley’s performances. That would exceed the £16.5mil Spurs paid for both Luka Modric and Darren Bent. I’m off: England winger David Bentley is expected to take over from Robbie Keane in the Tottenham forward line. Keane has left for Liverpool.
The fee uses up most of the £19mil (US$37.9mil) that Tottenham had received from Liverpool for the signing of Ireland captain Keane.
Bentley, Modric and Giovanni Dos Santos bolster a forward line which will be without Keane and potentially Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov, who has been targeted by European champions Manchester United.
“The player’s contract is for a period of up to six years,” Tottenham said in a statement to the London Stock Exchange.
The arrival of Bentley, who has scored 13 goals in 102 Premier League games for Blackburn and played six times for England, is part of an overhaul of the team by coach Juande Ramos.
Ramos signed Jonathan Woodgate, Alan Hutton, Gilberto and Chris Gunter in January, three months after taking over from Martin Jol, and has bought Croatia playmaker Modric, 19-year-old Mexico forward Dos Santos, Brazil goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes and teenage midfielder John Bostock since the end of last season.
Jermain Defoe, Wayne Routledge, Radek Cerny and Lee Barnard had all departed early in Ramos’ reign, and Keane, Paul Robinson, Pascal Chimbonda and Teemu Tainio have all left the club in this off-season. Steed Malbranque and Younes Kaboul are among those expected to follow
I’m off: England winger David Bentley is expected to take over from Robbie Keane in the Tottenham forward line. Keane has left for Liverpool.