Aston Villa received a major boost with the news that captain and midfielder Fabian Delph was snubbing the offer from Manchester City to stay at Villa Park.
The England international has been linked with a move to City for around £ 8 million – the release clause in his contract. Delph only signed a new contract only back in January and he stated that he was going to be part of the club for a long time. However, there were rumours that the midfielder was undergoing a medical at City after the Manchester outfit activated the release clause. This rumour appears to have had some truth.
Delph recently came out stating that he no longer wanted to join City since he wanted to remain loyal with Villa. Tim Sherwood has come out in praise of his captain by saying that Delph can help Villa go much further than just being a relegation threatened outfit. For the last few years, lack of significant investment from owner Randy Lerner has resulted in the team slipping down the table. They have been involved in a relegation fight consistently over the last few years and there is a danger that one mistake could see them in the Championship.
The presence of players like Delph helps retain the quality at Villa Park for Tim Sherwood. "We are looking to build something here and we're looking to keep our best players.Fabian is certainly one of those. It's just an example of the measure of the guy really that he decided to stay - the loyalty he's shown to the fans, the football club and the chairman. And I'm delighted to have him here next season. He stayed away from this trip because his wife is due their second child any moment. That's why he was always going to stay back,” said Delph.