Why Fabian Delph Could Be The Ideal Replacement For Danny Drinkwater At Leicester City
Chelsea are set to enter into fresh negotiations with Leicester City over the possible transfer of midfielder Danny Drinkwater, the Daily Mail reports.
It was reported last week that the Premier League champions had a £15million bid rejected for the England international, with the Foxes holding out for a fee in the range of £35million.
Manager Craig Shakespeare spoke to the media recently, expressing concerns over the possibility of late bids and also claimed if the bid met their value, the club would accept the offer. As quoted by the Leicester Mercury, he said:
“I’ve read the speculation the same as you but until we get the bids accepted, there’s no difference for me. We carry on with them. All the time we’re talking about the speculation. We’ll carry on as normal until I’m told otherwise.
“I’ve said that your worst fear is that an acceptable bid comes in but, if it does, we have to deal with it. Until it does, we have no decision to make.”
With Chelsea opening talks again, a move for Drinkwater seems very much on the horizon and Leicester should work fast on identifying a replacement. One person that they could look to bring in, if Drinkwater does end up leaving the King Power Stadium is, Manchester City’s Fabian Delph.
The 27-year old hasn’t played a lot of football since his move to the Etihad a couple of years back, with injuries playing a major role in his career not taking off with the Sky Blues. Last season, he was sparingly used by manager Pep Guardiola, as he made only 13 appearances across all competitions, scoring once. And it is very much written in stone that he will have a role to play in the coming season.
With the World Cup nearing, Delph too will be keen on sealing a move away so as to improve his chances of making the trip to Russia as a part of the England squad.
Delph may have been unable to carve out a place for himself in the Manchester City line-up, but his quality is undoubted. A midfielder with very strong technical ability, the Englishman has proven himself in the Premier League in his 136 appearances in the English top flight for Man City and Aston Villa combined.
Delph’s ability to find his teammates accurately, be it over a short distance or a long one, would make him the ideal man to take over the responsibilities of conducting play from the middle of the park at Leicester. Last season, in the Premier League, Delph had a pass accuracy of 93.3%. This, combined with his dribbling ability and the knack of unleashing shots at goal from long range, would make him a hit at the King Power. The 9-time capped England international’s defensive side of the game too is very much polished. He puts his good reading and situational awareness to good use to cut out attacks before they develop.
Things may have gone wrong for the former Aston Villa man at the Etihad, but he has a point to prove and that could spur him to perform even better. With City looking to sell, if Chelsea do end up signing Drinkwater, Shakespeare should definitely consider going for Delph.
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