As per a report from the East Anglian Daily Times, 34-year-old striker Darren Bent, who is without a club, is open to joining Championship outfit Ipswich Town.
The former England international is a free agent after being released by Derby County in the summer. And speaking of the possibility of returning to Ipswich, where he spent seven years between 1998 and 2005, the striker said (h/t East Anglian Daily Times):
“There’s been no contact, but obviously it’s something I would be open to. It’s a club close to my heart. That’s where it all started for me, I had a lot of good days there and a great relationship with the fans.
“As I say, I’d definitely love to have a conversation with Ipswich. The team hasn’t got off to the best of starts and it would be nice to try and help out if they need another striker. I see that one area they have been struggling with has been scoring goals and that’s something I’ll always back myself to do.”
Bent is a graduate of the Ipswich academy and went on to make 141 appearances for the Tractor Boys, scoring 55 goals before leaving for Charlton Athletic in 2005. The striker was a prolific goalscorer in his prime and went on to score 106 goals in 277 Premier League matches, having turned out for the likes of Charlton, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland and Aston Villa.
The striker joined Derby in January 2015 from Villa, initially on loan, before moving to Pride Park on a permanent basis in the subsequent summer. He went on to make 86 appearances for the Rams, scoring 28 goals and setting up four more.
In January this year, the Englishman joined Burton Albion on loan for the rest of the 2017/18 season but failed to make an impact, scoring just two goals in 15 matches. Having returned to Derby at the end of the season, the club released him following the expiry of his contract.
Ipswich Town have endured a torrid start to the 2018/19 campaign and find themselves in the 23rd spot in the Championship standings, having collected just nine points from 12 games. Their tally of 11 goals this season is the third-lowest in the division.
The Tractor Boys recruited three strikers in the summer with Kayden Jackson arriving from Bristol Rovers while Ellis Harrison signed from Accrington Stanley, along with seasoned pro Jonathan Walters, who joined on loan from Premier League outfit Burnley.
However, they have failed to make the desired impact, with Jackson just scoring twice in 12 appearances, while Harrison and Walters are yet to open their accounts for the season and have picked up injuries, adding to manager Paul Hurst’s headache.
Given the situation that Ipswich find themselves in, bringing in a new striker is of paramount importance for the club. But things could get worse if they wait till the January window, given the injury issues at hand. And signing a free agent at the moment would be the ideal stop-gap option until they can invest in a new striker in the winter transfer window.
Bent may have been a prolific striker during his day but he is past his prime now, evidenced by the fact that he scored just two goals last season. However, given Ipswich’s urgent need for reinforcements, the 34-year-old might not be the worst option for the club to look at, at least until the transfer window is open for business in a couple of months’ time.
