Joe Bennett
Image by: Paul Hazlewood
PUBLISHED
08:00 21st January 2015
by James Hilsum
I’ll keep my options open, but I think there is a possibility that I can come here permanently. "
Joe Bennett
Joe Bennett
Brighton & Hove Albion defender Joe Bennett revealed he is loving life on the south coast and is open to the possibility of a permanent move when his loan deal expires at the end of the season.The Aston Villa full-back signed on a season-long loan deal in August and has been a mainstay in the side since his arrival.
He said, “I think it is a possibility if everything goes to plan. I’m not sure if the manager wants a permanent left back, but he probably does.
“They had a couple of loans in my position in the past like Wayne Bridge and Stephen Ward. I’ll need to have a chat with the club at the end of the season to see what they want and what Aston Villa want me to do.
“If they want to keep me, I’ve said that I’ve got another year left [on a contract at Aston Villa] so there might be a fee involved. I’ll keep my options open, but I think there is a possibility that I can come here permanently.
“The main thing is to be happy as a player, because if you’re happy off the pitch then you’re going to be playing the best you can on the pitch. That is really the main factor for me, being happy and settled with my family. I’m really happy here and I can’t ask for anything more.”
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The 24-year-old then looked ahead to tonight’s game against high-flying Ipswich Town at the Amex and says the defence will have to be alert to combat the Tractor Boys’s attacking threat.“We had a really tough game the last time we played them and they’re flying at the minute, bar the result against Derby [Ipswich lost 1-0]. I watched that and they dominated one of the best teams in the league.
“They are a really good team and we’ve got to be on point on Wednesday night and hopefully we can get back to winning ways.
“We’ve just got to keep doing what we have done in the last few games; we’ve been really compact as a unit and our defensive record has been really good under the new manager. If we can do that, keep a good shape and hit them on the counter, than I think we can do a good job.”
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Original article