A TWO-year-long pursuit ended last week when Charlton finally captured the signature of striker Darren Bent.

The Addicks' persistence paid off when the 21-year-old put pen to paper on a four-year deal.

Speaking at his press conference Bent, who has scored eight times from 12 appearances for England at under-21 level, revealed he sought advice from former Ipswich team-mates Matt Holland and Hermann Hreidarsson before making the move to SE7 for an initial £2.5m.

He said: "I spoke to Matty and I know Hermann is also enjoying himself here. They both said it's a fantastic club to play for, and when you hear those kind of things from players of that experience you take note."

Dependent on appearances and further international recognition the fee for Bent could rise to £3m, but that would appear to represent good value for a player considered one of the brightest prospects outside the Premiership.

Having had two previous offers rebuffed the last a bid of £3m in August 2004 it was a case of third time lucky for Charlton when Bent made it clear he was not prepared to sign a contract extension with the Suffolk club.

Much like Charlton's season Bent's performances for Ipswich dipped towards the end of this year's campaign the majority of his 19 goals came before Christmas, and he was almost anonymous in the two play-off semi-finals against West Ham but perhaps the burden of expectation which comes with leading the line had taken its toll on his young shoulders.

Blessed with exceptional pace Bent is equally adept at plying his trade on the right wing, which is where he could feature in Alan Curbishley's favoured 4-5-1 system.

This might spell the end of Dennis Rommedahl's brief and thus far unsuccessful stay at the club he would surely not be content with spending another season on the bench but last week the Danish winger sought to distance himself from speculation linking him with a summer return to former club PSV Eindhoven.

Another potential departure is that of Francis Jeffers, who was reportedly offered to Ipswich as part of the deal which took Bent to the Valley.

But dropping down a division was never likely to appeal to a player who was once considered one of the country's hottest young striking talents.

Jeffers' plight he only made ten Premiership starts this season, scoring three goals might serve as a warning to Bent about the potential pitfalls that await him, but he exuded confidence at his press conference.

Bent, who made 142 appearances for Ipswich, said: "I'm confident in my own ability. This is a massive opportunity for me to play in the Premiership here, so I'm raring to go."

Chairman Richard Murray added: "Darren's a young player from whom we think the best is yet to come, so we're delighted he's agreed to join us. This is the first of a number of quality signings the club will be making over the next few weeks."

Bent could take his bow for the Addicks in the pre-season friendly with Welling on July 14, and could be in line to make his home debut against Feyenoord on August 3.