According to the Mirror, we’re going to offer Fabian Delph a new improved contract.
While there’s apparently nothing official, the player has unofficially been told that he’s integral in Paul Lambert’s plans for the first team;
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/aston-villas-fabian-delph-set-3265470
I like this story, as I believe he’s worth a new contract, based on his overall performances this season. Indeed, if you think about it, he’s probably the best bet for our player of the year, even though he’s had a bad couple of games.
A couple of things surprised me about this though.
First off, I’d forgotten that he’s only 24. That’s still pretty young for a potentially dominant midfielder and if he keeps improving, would mean we might get quite a few years of service from him.
The second is that the story seems to hint that we might double his wages, in the same way we did with Benteke.
That simply isn’t going to happen, because although I’m normally very clued up on what players supposedly earn, this time I have to say I don’t know for sure. I have a nagging feeling that he was signed up on about £25k a week though.
So £50k a week? No chance.
I’ve always liked Delph. He’s a Frank Lampard type player, the box to box type that we all like, who can also score goals with cracking shots.
His injuries hit him hard and my belief is that those, coupled with the way he was coached under McLeish, nearly ruined him as a player.
He’s come through that and has gone on to be touted as a possible England player, which is all to his credit.
He does have his critics though.
When he has an off-day, he can seem somewhat like a headless chicken.
And his tackling can at least be called over-zealous.
Which is why I’m asking the question.
In other news, Arsenal are supposedly in for Leandro Bacuna as a replacement for Bacary Sagna.
Yawn.
Delph looks better than he is – surrounded by some really average players. It makes you wonder how he’d perform around better players. A bit like Davies when playing next to Laursen, looked like a world beater but without him was utter dross. I think we should hang onto him, but I’m not sure he’s worth double what he’s on now. The stats on the Birmingham mail article today prove that he’s still some way off being the kind of player we’d like to see in the middle for us.
That’s a good call, Johnnyuk and indeed a view I might have subscribed to earlier in the season (I admit to being fickle, where my views might change over time; I’m a footy fan and that’s what we do).
I’ve always liked Delph though and think he will come good for the Villa.
He has time on his side, after all.
But yes, point taken. He’s the best amongst what has generally been a load of rubbish overall.
Delph is simply the best of a shit bunch. None of our midfielders would be regular starters in most team.
That’s a useful answer. Not!
Would you keep him?
“best of a shit bunch?”
That’s harsh, come on get some perspective on this – the lad suffered a cruciate ligament injury in 2010 and it takes time to recover mentally as well as physically from that sort of injury. You could see it starting to come together for Delph in flashes last season that improvement plus growth in confidence and consistency has continued into this.
“None of our midfielders would be regular starters in most team.”
So Delph or Westwood wouldn’t get a game with ‘MOST TEAMS’? Care to expand on your definition of MOST TEAMS? Mind you last season Vlaar was the biggest bag of shit since bags of shit were invented.
Sorry but sometimes you really do spout some absolute shite.
Ok then name me a team in the prem with a worse midfield than ours.
It’s your statement you qualify it!
I aint even going to get into a debate with you, you don’t go down, never say a single word that’s in the slightest positive and season after season need a victim to castigate (Dunne, Collins, Vlaar etc.) You only ever rate one player McGrath and yea he was good but also a piss head who missed training and went awol in matches
Why do you bother? Take up cross stitch or mow the lawn or something to while away your Saturday afternoons, saying that your needles would be shit or the lawn mower the wrong type.
Fulham, Cardiff, Sunderland, Palace, Hull, Norwich.
ManU have a worse midfield than us
Carrick, mata, Rooney (sort of midfielder) januzai etc are worse than our midfield. Are you on drugs
Yup. And we’ve got a much better record against the top four than they have. Stick that in your hash pipe and smoke it!
Mata’s played on the wing. That would be like playing Bent on the wing, it totally disrupts his talents.
Rooney runs around like a headless Chicken.
Carrick hasn’t been near good enough.
That Belgian’s been okay at best, hasn’t produced near what people claim, though has potential.
I’d keep him. Simply because he fully goes with Lambert’s tactics. However will Lambert drastically change them once again? It’s not that our midfield’s complete shit that Delph looks good, it’s because he’s so hard working that he looks good. Westwood’s not a hard working midfielder, yes KAE can be seen as a hardworker, he’s not gonna kill himself like Delph would. Delph’s technically not near good enough, he tries far too fucking hard to prove he’s really good and often, far too often, loses the ball. Yes like when he started his goal he has those good times, but does that come often a lot? Definitely, definitely not even close to enough times.
That said, yes, I’d keep him. Simply because he fits so well, and would fit with Hodgson’s poor tactics as well. However Villa need an upgrade in midfield to replace all 3, and yes I like KAE, but we need better still. I’d improve it simply because he’s been one of the better players and is worth it, but 50k? Villa can easily afford it and would give it out, but he’s not worth that.
Sorry Andrew but i think you are way off the mark there.
Delph is technically very good, either our interpretation if technique is vastly different or you aren’t watching the games, i’ve seen some immense performances from Delph this season, there were a couple last year too, he has the ability, that is clear.
Yes he may suffer from trying to impress but the lad has barely featured for us over the last 4 years, so it’s totally understandable that he sometimes tries to hard, but anyone can see the improvement in his overall game and what he has added to a weak midfield this season.
He’s only 24, and injuries aside, will only get better.
well said guest hes only 24 and a career in front of him. people forget how long this kid has been out sidelined and how little experience he has. in a team with less experience than him, so others look up at him which brings responsibility ~ we need to be patient with delph and the squad.
He may have great performances but I don’t think that’s down to technical ability, which in my opinion he lacks to be a great midfielder. His work rate is second to none and he’ll try to take on players but rarely beats a man, his passing really isn’t that great and his shots rarely hit the target.
I get he tries hard to impress because he’s been out but he doesn’t seem to know how to calm down and that’s when Villa get put in danger because he’s losing the ball constantly and Villa get countered themselves.
He has time on his side and I wouldn’t sell him, and he’ll be a good squad player if we upgrade our midfield which wouldn’t be hard, but I don’t think he’ll ever be that top midfielder.
The frightening thing is, recently as soon as we offer players extended contracts their skill and effort seems to deteriorate very rapidly….!!
That’s so bloody true or they get injured for ages. Look at CB and AW
I’ve always liked Delph, believe it or not, but no chance would I give him a new contract yet. Because of a handful of good games, do they forget the rest of the shite ones because we just beat Chelsea with probably our best performance of the season….?
Make him wait another season. Look what a rise done to Weimann!!!!!
He needs to learn to pass quicker and with these passes, unlock defences and stop running into traffic and losing the ball. Then and only then can he be put in the same category as Fat Frank
Delph has impressed me. if the bomb squad got paid for their contribution to aston villa. then nobody could argue Delph fully deserves a pay rise.
bacuna of the summer signings is another lambert player gem find, he has been used as jack of all trades, filled in right back, iam sure he will show more when hes played in his more usual position of midfield.
I can’t understand this tho, and whilst given time i hope i’m probably wrong but the really bad games Bacuna has had are from his supposed “best” positions. He played right back for his last club for ages (as well as other positions), and did well. If he’s playing really well in one position, why change that?
Also, by having Bacuna elsewhere means Lowton coming in, and without his woeful defending, we’ve looked good at the back
i think bacuna has played well in a position which is definitely not his natural position. having speed helps him recover his stamina also aids him but positioning and tackling is not this kids strong point ~ i believe he will continue to fill in right back, summer could see a new right back and lowton discarded,with bacuna playing further forward.
I think he deserves and new contract. I think he has had more good games than bad games. He never hides which is why we notice the bad games.