Darren Bent insists he has no intention of being the next high-profile departure from Aston Villa.
Striker vows to stay put
Darren Bent insists he has no intention of being the next high-profile departure from Aston Villa.
The England international was drafted in by Villa last season to provide a cutting edge up front and help steer the club clear of relegation trouble.
He repaid their faith with interest, with nine goals in 16 games suggesting that he was worth every penny of his £24million transfer fee.
That success was achieved with international colleagues Stewart Downing and Ashley Young providing the ammunition from the flanks.
Villa will be forced to adopt a different approach in 2011/12, though, as Downing has been sold to Liverpool and Young has moved on to Manchester United.
Long haul
Bent could be forgiven for thinking that he has been left short-changed, after his sterling efforts last season, but he is adamant that he will not be heading for the Villa Park exits any time soon.
He said: "Obviously what Stewy and Ash did was for their careers - Manchester United and Liverpool are two of the biggest clubs in the world, so they've got their reasons for doing it.
"But me, I'm more than happy to be here and play for Aston Villa. It's a terrific football club.
"I'd like to be here for the long haul. I want to build on that and hopefully this season will be as successful as last."
