Spurs have just paid more to buy Darren Bent than Barcelona parted with to sign Thierry Henry.

Bent - above average striker who has made no impact at international level with England - £16.5m

Henry - world superstar and one of the finest talents of the modern era - £16.1m.

Those facts, presented in such stark terms, hint at the madness of the Premiership market.

In mitigation, Spurs have effectively paid a West Ham premium after Alan Curbishley earlier agreed a mind-boggling £17m deal for his former striker.

Also, it appears that if any clubs attempt to buy a footballer who is young and English, several million pounds is automatically added to the price.

Some might also say it is a combination of Spurs paying too much for Bent and Arsenal not getting enough for Henry.

And Spurs could also sell Bent in years to come for a healthy fee, whereas there will be little sell-on value for Barcelona.

Henry is also much nearer the end of his career than Bent, but still ...

What is not in dispute is that Bent is not, and is unlikely to be, as good as Henry at any stage in his career.

If he was, he might make more England squads.

The very notion that Bent could go for more than Henry is a ludicrous one.

But football has, in so many ways, become ludicrous.

It is also a fact that Spurs have paid too much. Sorry, but Bent is simply not a £16.5m player.

Spurs boss Martin Jol will consider it money well spent if Bent's goals secure a trophy and a place in the top four next season.

But this deal is a tribute to the negotiating skills of Charlton Athletic, who really have dragged every last penny out of their friends from White Hart Lane.

This is not a criticism of Bent, a good striker without being top class, merely a comment on a startlingly-priced deal.

And you can be sure the fall-out is not over.

It gives Spurs an embarrassment of attacking riches, but when and how will Jol choose to deploy them?

It certainly looks bad for Mido.

Bent has clearly not signed up for a place in the shadows, so there will be a serious threat to the first choice of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane.

It is even more of a threat to Jermain Defoe, who will now surely leave Spurs.

As a goalscorer, I would take Defoe ahead of Bent every time - and it is a safe bet there will be a few Premiership managers who agree.

Jol clearly thinks differently and I will happily bow to his superior knowledge if Bent proves worth this astonishing amount of money.

Time will tell if he has spent wisely.