Villa look set to send defender to Brighton for the season

Towards the end of last season, it seemed that the departure of Ryan Bertrand would be a problem for Aston Villa, as they would be left with only Joe Bennett as a true left back. Now, after the signings of Aly Cissohko and others, Bennett may actually be surplus goods. In that light, the news that he is apparently having a medical at Brighton ahead of a year-long loan is good to hear.

Bennett is a very unpolished defender who causes more worry than any of us need, so removing that option from Paul Lambert is a wise choice. But it's also good to not entirely give up on him, as Bennett is only 24 years old and has shown flashes of promise. Perhaps his time in the Championship will see him get more regular appearances than the 30 he has gotten in two season for Aston Villa.

If it happens as expected, the loan move will be the fifth such full-season transaction for the club. Bennett would be following in the footsteps of Nicklas Helenius, Antonio Luna, Yacouba Sylla, and Aleksandar Tonev. The push to have more players out on loan rather than simply not playing them and freezing them out entirely is a shift in the way Paul Lambert has dealt with excess, and it's certainly a good one. Players doing nothing cannot possibly gain market value. Even if they are surplus, it's good to see them elsewhere and hopefully gaining interest.