Roker Roundup: Darren Bent reveals details of his infamous move from Sunderland to Aston Villa

Bent speaks to Roker Report

Former Sunderland striker Darren Bent spoke with Roker Report recently - with the full interview coming later today here on the site - and during the conversation he discussed his move to Aston Villa.

Bent was asked when he first had an inkling that a move away from Sunderland might happen and he admitted that he had heard of Villa’s interest before the derby game against Newcastle United, but brushed it off as he didn’t believe he would be sold by the club:

I knew just before that game that something was on the cards. There had been speculation during the week about me going somewhere.

But I just couldn’t see, even when my agent mentioned Villa I could not see Sunderland selling me - I thought it wouldn’t matter as it was a non starter and not going to happen.

When Sunderland did accept, it was kinda like well - I scored loads of goals for the club but you’re willing to accept the money.

You can read the full, in-depth interview with Darren Bent where amongst other things he discuss his move to Sunderland, the tweet to Daniel Levy, that beachball goal and his controversial transfer to Aston Villa, exclusively on RokerReport.com from 10am.

Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

Financial trouble for former Black Cats

Despite both having long, successful careers at the top of the game, former Sunderland duo Asamoah Gyan and Dwight Yorke appear to be struggling financially.

Yorke was the subject of a bankruptcy petition by HM Revenue and Customs over an unpaid debt of £1.5m but in an Insolvency and Companies Court hearing yesterday - which Yorke was not present for - Tomi Omoyinme who was representing HMRC said the debt had been paid in full.

Due to the debt being paid, Judge Sally Barber dismissed the bankruptcy petition and awarded HMRC costs to the amount of £881.

Asamoah Gyan has also been in court, as he looks to get his marriage to Gifty Gyan annulled.

As part of the annullment process, the former Sunderland striker wants all three children he had with his wife to be DNA tested and due to that request, the court ordered Gyan to provide first class travel for the family, as well as preparing accommodation for them in Accra, Ghana.

However Gyan claims he is walking around “a broke man” due to not having been paid for some months, this comes after he told the court back in August that he could only afford less than £500 per month for the children’s upkeep.

The court responded by warning Gyan against delaying tactics and ordered him to file his full bank account details within the next two weeks.

Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

Newcastle looking forward to cup clash

After beating Notts County 2-0 in the Checkatrade Trophy last week, Sunderland were somewhat predictably drawn against Newcastle United under-21s in the last 16.

Speaking to their official website, Newcastle coach Ben Dawson said as much as they are looking forward to what will be a tough game for his players, he will make sure his players ‘play the game, not the occasion’:

Obviously, they are doing really well at the moment in terms of their league form, and it’ll be a really tough game. I think, as much as we’d love to play at St. James’, we’ve been a little better away from home.

I think the lads are really looking forward to it. As much as it’ll be a tough game, it’ll also be a great experience for a young group of players, and one that they can savour. I’d imagine it’ll be a decent crowd, as well.

When we played against Sunderland’s Under-23s in the (Premier League) International Cup last year, it was ‘play the game, not the occasion’, and this will be very similar for us. We’ll approach it like we do any other game.

We’re not going to do anything special or drastically change anything just because it’s Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. We’ll be really consistent in terms of how we approach it and what we do in the build-up to it.