Keep yer money

West Ham offered to show Darren Bent the money, and Bent said "Don't bother." Bent is leaving £20,000 or more per week on the table in turning down the Irons. West Ham are offering £75,000 pounds a week, and reports indicate that Bent's preferred destinations -- Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur -- won't pay more than £55,000 a week. Of course, Bent earned £30,000 a week last season, so either way, he's looking at a huge raise.

Snub was a popular word among the headline writers. The Independent writes that Bent's decision underscores that players are refusing to join West Ham despite their willingness to pay high wages. I suppose Joey Barton could be another example. Andy Johnson never really expressed an opinion, as far as I know. The Guardian writes that West Ham believe that "it was outside influences, not their own inability to seal the deal, which led to Bent's change of heart." The reference, the Manchester paper implied, is probably to the player's new agents. He just signed on with them a few months ago, the Guardian says.

No matter what West Ham say, Bent's snub isn't a good sign, though. The club need a striker with the likely sale of Carlos Tévez. West Ham expect to get Dean Ashton back, so that helps. But if the Hammers are to avoid the problems of last season and move up the table, another top-level striker is needed. I can't say whether West Ham were making a good move, as I'm not familiar with Bent. I can't say if the transfer fee or the wages on offer were appropriate. When there is that much money involved, however, it's not always a bad thing if it falls through, or at least that's what I think is true from my experience watching American sports. Economists call it the winner's curse.