Joe Bennett explains angry comments on Twitter after sealing Aston Villa exit

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The defender has joined Cardiff City on a free transfer.

Joe Bennett may have completed a move from Aston Villa to Cardiff City but he is clearly far from happy with the way in which his transfer has been handled by some.

Bennett was reportedly told by Roberto di Matteo that he was not part of the Italian manager’s plans for this season and it soon became obvious that his exit was merely a matter of time.

However, when he had looked set to join Sheffield Wednesday earlier this week, Villa owner Tony Xia confirmed on Twitter that he had pulled the plug on the deal as it would have seen Villa paying a portion of the left-back’s wages while he played for a Championship rival.

Xia was later accused by a supporter of holding Bennett back from leaving the club and getting on with his career, but the chairman staunchly maintained that he would not strike any deal that was bad for the club.

Now, however, a deal has finally been struck to allow the former Middlesbrough man to leave permanently for fellow Championship side Cardiff City.

Bennett completed the move on Friday night, and posted an angry tweet on his personal Twitter account which appeared at face value to be a dig at Xia.

However, the following later backtracked the following morning, explaining via the Twitter service TwitLonger that his anger was merely at the way his move had been “aired” all over social media before his future had even been sorted.

Bennett wrote: “My comment yesterday had nothing to do about contracts or fans. It was simply that I didn’t want my situation to be aired all over Twitter before anything had been sorted.

“I just want to wish the club all the best for this season a massive club with loyal fans who have supported me even through the tough times the club has faced. Hope the club get back to where they belong! Good luck! Time for a new adventure.”

Xia later confirmed that he had spoken to Bennett before his final departure to clear the air between the two after many had interpreted Bennett’s first tweet as a slight at the owner.

Whatever Bennett’s true feelings about his departure, it certainly appears to be for the best fro both player and club that he was ultimately allowed to move on.