Why Fabian Delph Would Be A Great Signing For Newcastle United
Newly promoted Newcastle United have started the offseason in blazing fashion by signing Chelsea’s Christian Atsu on a permanent deal, and are in pole position for various other players across Europe. With Rafa Benitez looking to shake up the squad majorly, many will come in and many will also have to depart from St. James Park.
Last season’s glory can majorly be attributed to Benitez’s tact in the transfer market, bringing in Championship experience in Matt Ritchie and PFA Championship Player of the Season, Dwight Gayle. So, even this season, the ex-Liverpool manager is keen on having a squad with Premier League experience and one that can put up a decent mid-table performance.
Having been linked with a lot of players in the market, one of the smartest potential targets has been Fabian Delph, who Benitez has been eyeing since the December transfer window. Rejected then by Mike Ashley due to various issues, Newcastle now have an easy chance at a smart buy.
Having joined City for a mere £8million on the back of a powerful season for Aston Villa in 2015, Fabian Delph has gone on to make just 19 starts in two seasons at the Etihad, with a total of 40 appearances.
At Villa, Delph delivered performances that were strong enough to be called up to the national team, but has fallen out of favour at Manchester City due to the immense talent in the squad. Even in his few appearances, Delph still showed the same energy and skill as two seasons back.
One of the classic English box-to-box players, Fabian Delph balances his attacking duties perfectly with the protection of the back four, managing to make marauding runs, or play the ball to a winger, and come back in time to break the play when needed.
Rafa has deployed as 4-2-3-1 all season long, with PL veteran Jonjo Shelvey and the young Isaac Hayden seeing more playtime than other midfielders. The Shelvey-Hayden pivot worked well in the Championship, with Jonjo Shelvey’s aggression and bursts of energy from midfield take defences by surprise, and the young Isaac Hayden, a product of the Arsenal academy, sits in front of the defence, waiting to break up play, and put the ball forward.
The pairing is effective, with both players having good footwork, passing and technique, but this would be 22-year old Hayden’s first season in the top flight, and Bentiez needs experience.
A slight hamper may be Pep’s recent praise of Fabian Delph, after his performance in the away loss to Chelsea. He praised the 27-year-old’s attitude and suggested that Delph could now get further opportunities to impress.
As reported by the club’s official website, Guardiola said: “Congratulations to Fabian Delph. He showed me how wrong I was not to put him on the field. He never complains.”
But that said, a loan move would be the best deal for all parties, with Delph having a chance to show Guardiola that maybe he deserves a second chance at City. And with his history of injuries, Newcastle would be vary of spending a large sum on the Englishman without having a good use of his skills.
With Mike Ashley’s statement in the off-season: “I’ve confirmed to Rafa and Lee that they can have every last penny that the club generates through promotion, player sales and other means in order to build for next season.”
Newcastle are looking to bring in many new faces, and Fabian Delph being one of them is looking increasingly possible. Hopefully, another one of Rafa Benitez’s star transfers.