The curious case of Fabien Delph

At 19, Fabien Delph was touted as a great talent and a future England player.

Dream move!

After sealing a dream move to the Premier Leagues' Aston Villa in August 2009 from a lowly Leeds United outfit (I must profess to being a long-term Leeds supporter) plying it's trade in League One, it appeared that young Delph had hit the jackpot.
Already in his short career he had earned a handful of caps for the England Under 19's and 21's, been named Leeds players' player of the season and won the Football League's Young Player of the Year. So when the substantial amount of almost £8m was paid to acquire Delph's extremely sought after signature, many onlookers weren't too surprised by the hefty fee.

Another award!

Fast track forward almost three years and the contrast could not be more stark. The now 22 year old Delph's Villa career is hanging in the balance due to an alarming loss of form (admittedly not helped by long term injuries and being played out of position) and most notably a huge lack of confidence in his ability.
(He certainly hasn't repaid the large sum of money Villa forked out for him in the first place in terms of quality performances that have been few and far between.)

After seemingly falling out of favour with their much maligned former manager Alex McCleish, the latest manager to fill the dugout is rising star Paul Lambert who will surely decide Delph's future at the club.
Will he be deemed surplus to requirements or under Lambert's tutelage will he reinvigorate this once precocious talent?

After trawling through vast amounts of forums, topics and articles on Delph, it appears the general consensus for the transfer was welcomed by the Villa faithful to the point of genuine excitement upon his arrival just over three years ago. Unfortunately that enthusiasm and optimism has slowly seeped away, deteriorating into an overwhelming and almost universal disappointment.

With just 34 appearances for the Villains in almost four seasons, many managers would have been forgiven for letting the youngster attempt to seek pastures new.
At times he has definitely not helped his cause as just a few months ago Delph, Chris Herd and former teammate James Collins were involved in a what appeared to be drunken brawl, though the trio claim they were sober, in the early hours of the morning outside a nightclub in Birmingham. Despite issuing a remorseful apology the players were still reprimanded by the Club and fined for their callous actions.
Last season was certainly one to forget for everyone involved at the club, maybe none more so than Delph. So will he and should he be given that second chance?

Perhaps the fact he has had to endure several severe injuries in his short career, Delph is still a bit of an enigma and has not been given sufficient time to blossom, which is why he still remains at the club.

This question was instantly quelled by many supporters who commented that Delph was unable to pass consistently to teammates, make a telling contribution on games and picked up several bookings in the process for needless challenges. Yes he has had a series of debilitating injuries but is that enough to justify his inability to perform the bread and butter facets of the game? Surely not.

England glory days

A 'false dawn' is perhaps an accurate and succinct way to summarise Delph's career at Villa to date, but many still hold high hopes for the former England Under 21 International. Every now and again there has been a spark of promise in a pre-season game for instance, giving fans the belief he might have regained that swashbuckling, bullish and confident character that exhibited his intangible ability to excite, engage and uplift a club that deserves better.
Though it has been said before and it may be said again, now is the time for Delph to really show what he is made of.

Despite rumours of Delph possibly being loaned out for the 2012/13 season according to a source at the Sun newspaper, (not the most reliable source of information it has to be said) this did not come to fruition and Lambert made it clear that he is part of his plans for the club to move forward.
After impressing in pre-season there was renewed optimism that this was the season Delph would finally deliver. Yet again, however, his hopes were dashed after not being included in the matches against Swansea and Newcastle and was an unused substitute against Everton.
What is puzzling is that Delph started the first game of the season away to West Ham, putting in a solid yet unspectacular shift, but since then hasn't tasted any Premier League action. Coincidentally Delph impressed against Tranmere towards the back end of August but surely the outlook for Fabien Delph is bleak if he is limited to just Capital One Cup, formerly known as the Carling Cup, games against lower league opposition.

Has the sun set on Delph's short and sporadic Aston Villa career? Well not for the foreseeable future at least as his contract runs out in 2015 but will Lambert cut his losses and try to sell him before then or loan him to a club to try and regain any sort of form? The loan route would surely be the sensible option if he is not in Lambert's immediate plans, but Delph appears up for the fight, 'if I get a setback I'm never going to let my head go down and give up, I'm going to keep fighting'. He will need all the fight he can muster as he is currently fighting for his future at the club it seems.

'That Goal' against Brighton

Whatever happens with Fabien Delph, I do hope he rekindles that form where many heralded him as one of the best young talents the country had to offer, that won him all those accolades and a handful of England Under 19 and 21 caps. The form where his elegant but powerful runs left defenders trailing in his wake, the insatiable desire to win the tackle and those goals..... The 30 yard screamers, that audacious long range lob at Stockport and 'that goal' against Brighton, voted goal of the season in 2009, where the then teenager ran a full 70 yards before showing stunning composure and outrageous quality to curve the ball past a hapless, stranded keeper; ah those were the days.
My instinct tells me that Delph may not be a Villa player for too much longer or at least he won't play a big part in Villa's plans this season which would be a bitter pill to swallow. For such a young talented player to not fulfill his vast potential and light up the Villa Park crowd as he did so effortlessly on numerous occasions at Elland Road is a real shame. But maybe, just maybe, he is not cut out for the fast paced and ruthless Premier League and is truly out of his depth, only time will tell.

So will it be sayonara Fabien or will he become very much part of the Villa furniture? I truly hope that the latter will eventuate sooner rather than later.