Team Focus: Bent Has the Better of Newcastle's French Fancies

Newcastle's plummet towards the oblivion of potential relegation was a stark reminder that few teams are too good to go down. The same phrase was often used when the Magpies were unable to avoid the drop in the 2008/09 season, and last season's failings brought a side that had finished 5th the following season back down to earth with one hell of a bump.

It will be of concern to the fans then that the club are yet to strengthen in the transfer window. Many have blamed the current side's struggles on the influx of players from across the channel disrupting the dressing room, though in truth Pardew's problems arose even before the departure of top scorer Demba Ba.

Nevertheless, Newcastle's inability to replace the Senegalese forward to provide any form of competition to compatriot Papiss Cisse remains top of the to do list this summer, and they seem more than happy to dip their toes in French waters once again to solve the issue.

Initially an ambitious attempt to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, now of Dortmund, failed before interest materialised in Bafetimbi Gomis. Lyon's transfer demands appear to have cooled that liking for now at least, while the club have also been touted with a return bid - on loan initially - for Loïc Remy, who snubbed a move to the North East in favour of the riches of QPR.

Meanwhile, interspersed within those rumours has been an apparent longstanding interest in Darren Bent, who had a hugely successful spell with the club's fierce rivals Sunderland. Who, then, would be the best of those options to offer the much needed competition to the hit and miss Cisse?

When you look at the players' respective stats from last season alone it seems that Newcastle would be wise to continue their pursuit of the forward known as 'The Baby Drogba' from Lyon. Gomis had his most profitable season to date for les Gones, netting 16 goals having missed just one game all season.

The 27-year old has reached double figures in each of the last seven Ligue 1 campaigns but never scored more than his tally in 2012/13. It's clear that while he is consistent to a point, Gomis' level isn't always of a leading marksman.

Remy netted just 7 goals in his 28 appearances for QPR and Marseille combined, though it's worth noting that he came off the bench in 13 of those matches. Meanwhile, Bent's role at Villa last season was even more limited, falling out of favour under new manager Paul Lambert to start just 8 of his 16 league appearances, leading to a meagre goal tally of 3.

All three players, as well as Papiss Cisse, would not exactly be considered as all-rounders. They are in the side, or not in Bent's case, to score goals. The Englishman is perhaps regarded as the definition of a poacher, yet his average in terms of key passes per game (0.88) actually bettered those of Gomis (0.73) and Remy (0.79) last season, despite failing to register an assist.

The Villa man also boasted a better conversion rate regardless of his lowly goal tally last term, with 15.8% just ahead of Gomis 15.5%, while Remy (12.7%) and Cisse (9.3%) in particular were some way behind. It is, of course, not relevant to judge a player of Bent's ability on a campaign that saw him frustrated on the sidelines for much of its duration.

Looking back over the last 4 seasons the 29-year old has struck 53 league goals in 112 appearances, with his games per goal rate (2.1) in advance of both Gomis (50 goals in 145 games) and Remy (49 goals in 124 games) in that period. Nevertheless, the current incumbent of Newcastle's famous number 9 shirt has an even better record, with Cisse scoring 58 goals in 115 appearances in the Premier League and Bundesliga combined.

The French duo are again usurped in terms of chance conversion (Remy 15.2% and Gomis 13.7%) by both Cisse (18.8%) and Bent (19.1%) over the same period, while their respective figures for shot accuracy (41.4% and 37.1%) are also inferior. The similarities in stats, however, between Bent and Cisse over the last 4 seasons are evident.

The England international has the edge over the Senegalese forward in terms of shot accuracy (46.2% to 42.7%), touches per goal (64.2 to 76.3) and key passes per game (0.86 to 0.80), while the tables turn in Cisse's favour slightly when it comes to minutes per goal since 2009/10 (166 to 174).

It's clear then that if Newcastle are after a player of the same ilk of their current leading man that Darren Bent is the most obvious choice. It’s also a valid argument to suggest that the former Sunderland star’s figures are made all the more impressive when compared to both Remy and Gomis having achieved such feats in a more challenging league. He’s proven in the Premier League, and the only risk lies with his hefty wages.

However, if the Toon Army want someone to offer a different option in attack, Loic Remy should get the nod. The youngest of the four forwards ranked top of the quartet for key passes per game (0.92) and got the better of Gomis across the board in terms of his shooting statistics.

While on face value from last season the Lyon forward may have seemed to be the right target, a look further back into the finishing figures suggests Gomis is not the man for the job of restoring success at St. James' Park.