Skip over video

It may be three long months until the transfer window creaks open again, but the rumour mill stops for no man, and a certain Aston Villa striker’s ears have been burning. An England favourite under Fabio Capello, Darren Bent has fallen out of favour at Aston Villa, but are Liverpool ready to offer him a way out? Plus, might Arsène Wenger be in the market for FC Basel’s Aleksandar Dragovic to bolster his Arsenal defence? The Life’s a Pitch team give their thoughts and rate each rumour out of 10.

“This was mooted last January,” says the Daily Mirror’s Martin Lipton on the Bent-to-Liverpool whisperings. “I thought they should have done it then, because they didn’t have enough strikers. Clearly they haven’t got enough now – they’re going to need some [more] striking options. Bent can score, in a decent team, 15 to 18 goals a season, unquestionably. He’s a proper goalscorer, he showed it again against West Brom.”

Despite that goal against the Baggies, Bent found himself warming the bench again during Sunday’s defeat at Tottenham and could be open to a move. “If I were Liverpool, I would do it,” says Martin. “I would give it six-and-a-half or seven [out of 10]. It would make a lot of sense for both the player and the buying club.”

Martin’s colleague at the Daily Mirror, John Cross, is less convinced about the chances of the young Austrian international Dragovic turning up at the Emirates. “I’ll give it five out of 10,” says John. “I do think that Arsenal still want a defender come January and certainly by next summer. They were trying to sign a versatile defender, that’s the only drawback. Dragovic would have to be someone who could be adaptable – to be able to play centre-back and full-back as well.”

When it comes to a defensive jack-of-all-trades, Wenger may already have someone else in mind. “The one they came closest to was the French international [Mapou] Yanga-Mbiwa at Montpellier,” says John. “I think he would still be their priority. Dragovic would be a back-up plan.”

Watch the full video discussion by clicking on the play button in the image above. 

Related articles:

Order a copy of the Life’s a Pitch anthology

Video: Liverpool eye Isco, Sagna to Inter, Villa want Gosling?

Video: “Rooney and Van Persie could be the dream ticket”

Mike Calvin: Why Being: Everton would have made for a better show

“Wenger is not going to be held to ransom” by Walcott

Follow Life’s A Pitch on Twitter @BTLifesaPitch

Watch Aston Villa, Liverpool and Arsenal live on BT Vision:
Norwich v Arsenal, 4.30pm, 20 October, ESPN
Aston Villa v Norwich, 12.30pm, 27 October, Sky Sports 2
Everton v Liverpool, 1pm, 28 October, Sky Sports 1

Don’t have BT Vision? Find out how to get it