Aston Villa confirm Bennett extension and loan to Bournemouth

Aston Villa have confirmed the double move of extending Joe Bennett's contract through the 2016-17 season and sending him out to AFC Bournemouth on a loan until January. Speaking to the official site, Bennett seemed to explain the rationale for the move:

"They believe the loan deal, and hopefully the opportunity to play regularly in the Premier League, will enhance my development and I feel the same." He also pointed at something many fans noticed: "The move happened really quickly. I trained this morning and then things started to develop." Deadline day fun!

It's a bit of a perplexing change, to be honest. Bennett is probably the club's second-best left back after obvious first-choice Jordan Amavi. Should anything happen to the Frenchman, his backup will now likely be Kieran Richardson, who is a solidly average player but who also plays a totally different style. A shift from Amavi to Bennett would have been like for like. A shift from Amavi to Richardson would be jarring.

But hopefully that's a concern we don't have to worry about. Let's focus instead on the fact that Bennett is going to be getting some valuable experience in the Premier League, and hopefully helping one of the best stories in football this season.