CHARLTON head coach Iain Dowie has praised the role played by the club's plc chairman Richard Murray in persuading top-scorer Darren Bent to sign a new and improved four-year contract.

"This is fantastic news for the club and the chairman is to be congratulated on securing Darren's future for the next four years," said Dowie.

"I want to build a young and exciting team at Charlton around individuals like Darren who has a great desire to play for the club.

"He is a player desperate to learn, to develop his game and to achieve success with the club."

Bent, who had been the subject of persistent transfer speculation linking him with Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle, said: "I made up my mind a long while ago that I was staying and despite speculation it was always my intention to stay."

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