Arsenal bank on Bentley

14 April 2012

Few would argue with the analogy that Dennis Bergkamp is a Rolls-Royce of a footballer and that if, as expected, he retires from the game at the end of this season the loss to Arsenal and English football in general will be huge.

But there is, it seems, hope for the future. Arsenal can replace the Roller with a Bentley - with David Bentley, to be precise.

The comparison was first made by Francis Jeffers, currently on loan at Everton from Arsenal, when asked about the rising stars at Highbury who have played a major part in taking the club to the last four of the Carling Cup.

"He puts me in mind of a younger version of Dennis Bergkamp," said Jeffers.

Just how deep runs the similarity will be evident at Highbury tonight when the Arsenal-Middlesbrough saga (part two of four) is resumed in the first leg of the Carling Cup semifinal. Bergkamp was among Bentley's heroes - Paul Gascoigne and Eric Cantona were the others - as he grew up in Cheshunt.

Now aged 19, he works and trains with the Dutchman on a daily basis. His preferred role is as a shadow striker - like Bergkamp.

Bentley showed a glimpse of things to come when he made his first-team debut as a substitute. It was against Oxford in the third round of the FA Cup last season - the game in which Bergkamp scored his 100th goal for Arsenal.

Bentley displayed some Bergkampstyle touches, including a couple of step-overs which had the crowd singing his name in appreciation.

"That was a great day," he recalled. "To play in front of that many people, that is what you want. I loved it - just as I have loved playing in the Carling Cup. This is one big, big game for me and the rest of the young players. It is a test of mental strength as much as anything because the semi-final is the best tie to win but the worst one to lose.

"I have been to Cardiff the last three years to watch the team play in the FA Cup finals. Now I would like the chance to play there myself.

"I love the tension and the atmosphere. That is what you want from life as a footballer. The more eyes on you, the bigger the crowd, the better for me."

And what of the assertion that he is a fledgling Bergkamp? To many it could be a burden. To Bentley, it is a compliment.

"I feel really chuffed that Francis Jeffers said that about me," said Bentley. "I have been watching him since I was 14 and I am one of his biggest fans. He is a great player and a great person and if I can get anywhere near his level, I will be more than happy." Of course just how close Bentley can get to the achievements of Bergkamp will depend on his progress at Arsenal. There were many clubs after his signature as he emerged as a teenage talent of immense promise in north London.

"I prefer not to say who, and I know that if I had gone to a club with a less high profile then I might have played more first-team games by now," he said. "But once I knew Arsenal wanted me, that was it as far as I was concerned. I am training and working with some of the best players in the world here. I am happy to be with the best.

"I have a five-year contract here and the fact that the club offered me that shows they have confidence in me. I just want to make the most of every opportunity I get."

Those chances have included matches in the Carling Cup that have been as much a test of physical strength as technique. West Bromwich Albion in the quarterfinal, for instance, was no place for the faint-hearted.

"They were a big, powerful side and you have to be able to cope with that and I think we did as a team that night," he added. "Now we have the chance to reach the final and I want to make the most of that."

? Arsenal v Middlesbrough, Highbury, tonight, 7.45pm (Live on Sky Sports 2)

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