The Norway international effectively ended his three-and-a-half-year career at Villa Park by agreeing to join the Potters on loan until the end of the season, when he will be out of contract.
Carew's relationship with Houllier - who has got rid of the 31-year-old for the second time in his career having offloaded him to Villa as Lyon boss in 2007 - has been strained in recent months.
The striker called Houllier "disrespectful" after he was challenged to earn a new contract, with the Villa boss 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 record 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 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?"
Source: PA
Source: PA