Transfer news: Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert confirms striker Darren Bent set to join Fulham having undergone a medical
Lambert confirms Crystal Palace boss Ian Holloway's comments earlier today that the Cottagers had lured Bent on a season-long loan deal
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Your support makes all the difference.Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has confirmed Ian Holloway’s comments that Darren Bent is undergoing a medical at Fulham ahead of a season-long loan deal.
Palace had been favourites to sign the 29-year-old striker after he was told he was no longer required at Villa Park, but Fulham managed to lure the England international to Craven Cottage over Selhurst Park.
Martin Jol refused to comment directly on the Bent transfer earlier today in his afternoon press conference, but Holloway claimed Fulham had plucked the forward from under the Eagles noses.
Following the Palace manager’s comments, Lambert has confirmed that Bent is in London for a medical ahead of a loan deal, but he is viewing the move as a permanent one next year.
"He's just away down to Fulham," said the Villa boss.
"I think it's well-documented now that he's down there having a medical and that's the last I've heard."
Jol had earlier given a cautious answer to questions that the deal had already been completed, choosing not to elaborate on whether it was completed or not.
"I don't know what's happening. Darren's probably doing his own thing. We're not sure about it," the Fulham boss said.
"We don't speculate on players and can only give an answer when a deal is finalised. We'll see in the next day or two.
"We need quality up front and we're trying to get someone in that position in the next week. We need some pace up front," Jol said.
Bent remains Villa’s record signing after he joined the Midlands club from Sunderland for an initial £18m, rising to £24m with clauses.
His playing time last season though was hit by a hamstring injury, and the emergence of new signing Christian Benteke, whose 19 Premier League goals were crucial in keeping the Villans in the English top flight.
Jol also took a swipe at Holloway, claiming he shouldn’t talk about other clubs and their transfer dealings without checking his facts first.
"People were telling me yesterday that he was having a medical at Crystal Palace. That is changing every day," Jol said.
"I thought yesterday that he was going to Ian Holloway. It's tough in the Premier League.
"I'm not sure if other managers should say things like that, because we are not 100 per cent sure about any player and I have a few players on the list.
"Maybe some geezer told him he was coming to us. Maybe he's right, maybe not. We'll see in the next day."
The Dutch manager would also be more than happy for Norwegian left-back John Arne Riise to remain with the club, but admits if he wants to leave he won’t stand in his way.
"John is a fantastic player and deserves to play and that was the only conversation we had," Jol explained.
"If he's the second choice at this club, I'm not sure he'll be a happy customer.
"But if he stays I'll be happy because if something happens to Kieran Richardson then I have another fantastic left-back."
Having been bought by car-parts sales owner Shahid Khan over the summer, Jol is pleased that the new chairman wants to move the club forward, but insists they are not about to start parting with large sums of money just for the sake of it – although he does hope to sign a new defender and midfielder – and he used a rather strange method involving sausages to explain it.
"The new owner wants us to go places and that's our intention as well," he said.
"We don't expect new owners to come in and spend a lot of money because you have to be self-sufficient. That's what we're trying to do. We won't spend £10m, £15m, £20m on players.
"The new owner's not interfering with anything. The only thing he said was try to create a nice sausage.
"He knows that we like sausages here. As long as it's a nice sausage he'll be happy."
Jol is also hopeful of luring Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker to Craven Cottage despite QPR closing in on the England international.
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