David Bentley; Tottenham paying the price for buying English 'talent'.

As Tottenham close in on the signing of David Bentley, the main thing sticking in my throat is £17 MILLION.

Now before people start talking about the inflated transfer market and so on, lets just reflect on that price. This is £17m for a player who didn't make it at Arsenal, and since then has played in the EPL for Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers.

His season (on loan) at Norwich was inconsistent, yet produced enough flashes of inspiration to persuade Mark Hughes to sign him permanently for Blackburn the following season.

And this is where my problem lies...

In the Premiers League, it is one thing entirely performing well for an average team. Blackburn are a good, workmanlike team who consistently outperform many other clubs they really have no right to—the likes of Manchester City, Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

As such, there is little pressure on the Blackburn squad ahead of every season and ahead of every game. The players react well to this relaxed yet hard-working mantra and play some lively attractive football.

However, it is a very different matter when you are put under huge pressure and expectation from supporters and the media—the sort of pressure that comes with playing for a top six team (who are pushing to be a top four team), and playing for England.

I admit, Bentley went right down in my estimations when he rejected the opportunity to represent England U-21s in summer 2007 because he was "tired"—would he have been so "tired" if it had been England's senior team and the World Cup finals?

And the appearances he has made since have left me underwhelmed to say the least.

I look at Bentley and see another player who, for the sheer fact that he is English, is over-rated and over-priced. A prime example is Jermaine Pennant. Pennant went from unwanted at Arsenal to being Birmingham's star player in their relegation season.

Pennant then made the jump from relegated team to Liverpool for £8m, a fee which itself looked over-inflated. Since then Pennant has struggled to find any real consistency for Liverpool, and found himself injured and then overlooked for much of last season. He cost £9m less than Bentley.

Compare this to the purchase of, for example, Luis Garcia by Rafa Benitez. Garcia cost £6m, and for three years was a first team regular, clocking up assists and goals (something Bentley lacks) well into double figures in each of his seasons in the Premiership.

David Bentley is a good player, but good players do not cost £17m—that's only £4m less than Fernando Torres and £6m more than Ryan Babel cost Liverpool last summer.

Spurs of course will hope he progresses and becomes the world-class right sided player they believe they are buying. I hope for England's sake I don't have to say "I told you so" in a year's time.