New Aston Villa signing Joe Cole is confident Darren Bent and Charles N'Zogbia can play their way back into manager Paul Lambert's plans.
Cole believes the presence of experienced senior pros like Bent and N'Zogbia will enhance Lambert's hopes of consolidating in the top flight.
He told the Birmingham Mail: "Any team outside the top six in the Premier League, first and foremost you want to consolidate in the league because it's such a tough competition.
"Obviously you've got Benty coming back and N'Zogbia, and Okore coming back to fitness. I think we'll do all right. I've looked at it, it excites me, I just want to play football and it's a good opportunity.
"I've played against Paul Lambert's teams and they play football."
