Carew secures Stoke loan deal and sets sights on longer stay

The 31-year-old is out of contract in the summer and believes a successful four months at the Britannia Stadium could lead to a permanent deal.

"If I'm happy and the club is happy, if I enjoy it and it goes well enough, then we can decide that in the summer," Carew said. "The important thing now is to make the most of this opportunity. I'm looking forward to the challenge and I am happy to be here.

"Although I had other offers, I saw Stoke as the best team and the strongest team, so this is a great chance for me to join a side fighting in the top half of the table. Tony Pulis has shown great confidence in getting me here so I want to repay that faith.

"He's a great manager who created a big impression with me, so I am delighted I have been given this opportunity to work with him."

Stoke's assistant manager Dave Kemp hopes they will be able to benefit from Carew's desire to prove a point to Villa manager Gerard Houllier.

The Norway international effectively ended his three-and-a-half-year career at Villa Park with his loan move.

His relationship with Houllier - who has got rid of Carew for the second time in his career having offloaded him to Villa as Lyon manager in 2007 - has been strained in recent months.

The striker called Houllier "disrespectful" after he was challenged to earn a new contract, with the Frenchman responding by calling the former Valencia forward "stupid" and telling him to stop "living in the past".

Carew has been Villa's leading scorer for the last three years and scored 17 goals last season. It is that form which Kemp hopes the 6ft 5ins striker will bring to the Britannia Stadium despite being frozen out at Villa, where he made just two appearances in the last two months.

"You hope with an experienced player you get someone with a point to prove," said Kemp. "The fact he has not been that involved so much this year (means] he might come here with something to prove, that maybe he was left out of the equation (at Villa] too early.

"He is a proven Premier League striker. For a big man he has got good feet and skills and can bring people into the game and is good in the air and he scores goals - what is there not to like?"

Carew completed his loan in time to be included in the squad which travelled to London ahead of today's match against Fulham.

Also among that party was fellow striker Ricardo Fuller, who trained with the players this morning. Stoke have also rejected claims they have accepted a 3 million bid from Sunderland for the former Hearts forward.

Meanwhile, Houllier insists Villa have "done things the right way" after hitting back at Steve Bruce's attack over their conduct during the signing of Sunderland striker Darren Bent.

Houllier says he bears no grudges over the verbal attack on him from Bruce but claimed "some people are not telling the truth". The former Liverpool manager also defended his decision not to make contact with his Sunderland counterpart when trying to sign Bent who moved for a club record 18 million.

Houllier is also adamant Villa did nothing wrong with their conduct in attempting to sign Blackpool and Scotland midfielder Charlie Adam despite manager Ian Holloway's outbursts.

Houllier, when asked about Bruce's comments, said: "We have done things extremely right, properly, the right way. Paul Faulkner, our chief executive, was in contact with Niall Quinn [Sunderland chairman] and I was kept informed, step by step, during the negotiations. I thought, would assume, Niall did the same with Steve Bruce - unless he didn't.

"I was surprised by some of the declarations and thought some people are not telling the truth. Whether they want to protect themselves from the fans, I don't know.

"We are happy to have the player, they had the right to say no, but in fact, they just wanted the player for a certain bid."

Houllier added: "I have not spoken to Steve - and I won't. I may have a drink after the games. I am not bearing grudges. If I call him and say I want his player, he will go vocal and go public and it will be even worse. He is working for the interests of Sunderland, I am working for the interests of Aston Villa."

Regarding Holloway's claims, in which the Blackpool manager accused Villa of making "ludicrously" low bids of 2.5 million and 3.5 million for Bloomfield Road captain Adam, Houllier said: "We did things right.

"We went straight to the club, we were quiet, we said nothing and finally it comes out in the press but not from Aston Villa.

"Holloway said we were insulting them. We made a bid, they said no and we respect that."