2. Darren Bent
Another striking option is Aston Villa outcast Darren Bent. The 29-year-old endured a miserable campaign at Villa Park last season in which he only made 16 Premier League appearances, scoring in three of them, and Paul Lambert's side are prepared to let him go. They've even dropped their asking price for the former Tottenham man, and are prepared to take a big hit on the £24 million they paid Sunderland for his services in 2011. The Midlands club were initially holding out for £8 million, but are now
prepared to accept £6 million instead. Bent has been told by Villa manager Lambert that he wont play for him again and has even taken the extreme measure of banning him from training with the first-team. That paves the way for a move to the North East to resurrect his flagging career, if he is that way inclined.