 Bent started his career with Ipswich Town . After progressing through their youth system he made his first team debut in 2001 . He made 122 appearances and scored 48 goals in the league for Ipswich , before joining Charlton Athletic for a fee of £ 2 @.@ 5 million in 2005 . He was Charlton Athletic 's top goalscorer for two consecutive seasons and joined Tottenham Hotspur for a club record fee of £ 16 @.@ 5 million in 2007 . After two seasons at Tottenham he joined Sunderland . After a successful 18 months at Sunderland , he joined Aston Villa in 2011 . Bent had loans with Fulham , Brighton & Hove Albion and Derby County and after being released by Villa in 2015 joined Derby permanently . 
