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'I can't wait' - The huge transfer blow that rocked Aston Villa

'I can't wait' - The huge transfer blow that rocked Aston Villa

It will go down in hiss-story as the week Fabian Delph slithered his way out of Aston Villa.

The week he shed his skin as a claret and blue hero to become Villa Parks public enemy No.1.

The week the winker went back on his word to join Manchester City after a series of embarrassing U-turns.

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The context

It was July 2015 and after biding his time to make his mark in B6, the former Leeds United favourite was now a key player at Villa.

Delph had played his part in Villa’s survival revival under Tim Sherwood the previous season and even scored in the glorious FA Cup semi-final victory over Liverpool at Wembley (the less said about the final defeat to Arsenal, the better).

Villa were on a pre-season training camp in the Algarve during a summer in which Sherwood and transfer committee colleagues Paddy Riley, Hendrick Almstadt and Tom Fox were overhauling the squad.

Delph was excused from the Portugal tour to stay at home with heavily pregnant wife Natalie who was expecting their second child.

Natalie wasn’t the only thing about to drop.

So too was a transfer bombshell, with more twists than Spaghetti Junction.

But before then let's wind the clock back to January 2015, when Delph announced his new contract with a wink.

The wink

Fabian Delph poses with a shirt after signing a new contract at Aston Villa
Fabian Delph poses with a shirt after signing a new contract at Aston Villa

It was at half-time during the 2-1 FA Cup third round victory over Bournemouth on January 25 2015 when Delph appeared on the scoreboard - and with a wink revealed that he had signed a new deal committing him to Villa until the summer of 2019.

In a pre-recorded video message, he said: "It's been a roller-coaster ride since I've been here - I've enjoyed every minute of it.

"The fans have stuck by since day one. The chairman's stuck by me, he's been unbelievable with me. The gaffer's been great as well.

"'I'm proving that there still is loyalty in football. I've decided to stay here and I'll give nothing less than 100 per cent every game.

"I'd love you guys to get behind us and support the boys."

It's probably best if, in true football cliche style, we take this a day at a time now...

Friday, July 10

Remember that ‘A Big Club’ promotional kit launch thing that backfired as Villa got relegated?

Well, Delph was one of the poster boys picked to model the new QuickBooks-sponsored Macron strip.

To make matters worse he was pictured posing front and centre pointing proudly at his captain’s armband.

Which would all have been fine, but for the fickle fates of the football transfer window.

That very day the story broke that Manchester City had triggered Delph’s measly £8 million release clause.

Eight million quid - for an England international in his prime!

Saturday, July 11

The rumour mill went into overdrive - and it was not without foundation. Having agreed personal terms, Delph was set to join City and had a medical booked in for that day - but then...

Via Villa’s official website, Delph issued three short sentences that have subsequently condemned him to a life sentence where the claret and blue faithful are concerned.

He said: “I’m aware there has been intense media speculation surrounding my future in the last 24 hours and I want to set the record straight.

“I’m not leaving. I’m staying at the football club and I can’t wait for the start of the season and captaining this great football club.”

Yay, hooray, whoopie - let's get Fabian's face on tea towels, t-shirts and tattoos as a symbol of loyalty.

Sunday, July 12

Sherwood, putting the rest of the Villa squad through their paces over in Portugal, revealed his joy at the news after coming so close to losing his skipper.

He said: “He had an opportunity to join Man City and he weighed up his options and decided to stay with us, which we’re obviously all delighted about.

“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 Aston Villa fans, the football club and the chairman.

Aston Villa Manager Tim Sherwood
Aston Villa Manager Tim Sherwood

“I could go as much as to say that if Fabian Delph wasn’t with us last season we wouldn’t be in the Premier League now,” he added.

“He’s someone I had the ear of. He was very instrumental in what I wanted to do.

“He knew exactly what I wanted from the team and he drove them on.

“It can’t always come from the manager – the instructions – sometimes someone on the pitch needs to translate that information and Fabian certainly did that.”

Tuesday 14 July 2015

A couple of days later Ray Wilkins, Sherwood's right hand man, picked up the 'Delph's staying' delight and ran with it.

“We were sitting here moping about as dark as the biggest hole on the planet, then the next day Tim comes in and says he’s staying," said Wilkins.

“I thought, wow, just applaud him, Tim, for that. It’s almost like we’ve got a new player back because it’s someone who was gone.

“We thought he had gone then all of a sudden he comes back. It’s like getting a new man now.

“Fabian Delph should be applauded for his actions over the last week. He could have gone to Manchester City for a lot of money.

“But, he wants 700 games and a good career and I applaud that. It’s rare in football to see that happen. I thought it was fanastic.”

Friday 17 July

Fabian Delph in action for England against Slovenia
Fabian Delph in action for England against Slovenia

Now, Villa fans know full well what tends to happen when their star players get England recognition and go away on Three Lions duty.

They'd seen it with Gareth Barry, James Milner, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing all disappearing up the M6.

But Delph's head wasn't just turned, it virtually spun off his neck like that scene from The Excorcist.

By Friday those declarations of undying love for the Villa were forgotten as Delph realised the lure of bumping up his money and playing Champions League football was too tempting to turn down.

A fan spotted him turning up in Manchester for his medical, the speculation became fact and at 7.19pm that evening Delph was unveiled as a Manchester City player.

Villa? They played a friendly against Braga in Portugal that night, with rookie Ricky Calder a game in midfield.

How we reported it

Open letter to Fabian Delph
Open letter to Fabian Delph


Birmingham Live wrote an open letter to Delph following his transfer - here's an extract from it:

"We have deliberately taken our time before writing you this letter because we are loathe to make any rash statements that we may later regret, even once, let alone twice.

It's been a while now since you completed your messy, faith-destroying move to Manchester City and ensured your new status as Villa Park's public enemy No.1.

But those 'Delph You Snake!' banners, those Facebook clips of fans burning replica shirts bearing your name, those mocking memes on social media all could have been avoided if only you had not laid it on so thick.

If only you had not tried to trumpet yourself as the second coming of commitment, if only you had not awarded yourself the loyal seal of approval.

You could have gone to Manchester City with your reputation intact had you not uttered such hollow nonsense as: "I'm proving that there still is loyalty in football" back in January.

And then compounded it just a week ago, by blurting out: "I'm not leaving. I'm staying at the football club and I can't wait for the start of the season and captaining this great football club."

Oh Fabian.

Why did you not just go quietly rather than whipping up a frenzy of false hope?"

How Villa fans reacted

Well, there was the supporter who took it to the extremes by setting fire to his Delph shirt (see the video at the top of this piece).

Here's some of the comments posted on social media:

Gav Mac: Enjoy your retirement Fabian! Waste of talent. #avfc #mcfc

Paul AVFC: What a snake, enjoy the bench at Man City #snake

Villan1999: Good riddance, don't want players like that. Not bigger than the club

MarkieVilla: So much for loyalty. All about the cash, why pretend it's not

What Delph said

Speaking the weekend after completing his move to Man City, Delph explained the events of that week.

"The week I didn't travel away my wife was expecting so there was a lot more to think about than football.

"My family comes first and I was basically sat there waiting for my daughter to be born. Obviously in the back of my mind there was a decision to be made and I' m a City player now. I'm happy and ready to go.

"Everything changes once you have children. Your priorities change. They're No.1. Everything you do, every performance, every time I step on the pitch, I want it to rub off well on my family and make them proud of me. That will always be the way I think throughout my career.

"It's been a great time for me, a bit of a rollercoaster ride. But everyone seems to be happy at the minute."

He deliberately shut himself off from all the fall-out from his transfer U-turn.

"Anything and everything that has been said I've not seen. I keep myself well away from it. All I do is focus on my family, playing well and helping my teammates.

"I had great time at Villa and made great friends who I'll keep in touch with, but I'm not really looking back. I'm not a player who dwells on things. I'm at Manchester City now and looking forward to challenging for titles.

"'It's a dream to come to a club as big as City and play Champions League football. That was huge for me. I think for every player, growing up as a kid you're used to watching it.

"'Probably if I hadn't taken this opportunity now it could have passed me by.

"'It's just a great club. The opportunity to come and win trophies and play with the best players in the world, to see if I can fit in and make the step up, was too good to turn down.

"I got into the England squad playing for Villa. When we'd meet up with the squad I was the only player there at a club down near the bottom, so it was a big thing for me then. Now, hopefully I'll be joining up with the squad playing for a top-four team."

What happened next

City's Delph heads wide of the goal under pressure from Brad Guzan at Villa Park this weekend.
City's Delph heads wide of the goal under pressure from Brad Guzan at Villa Park this weekend.

Inevitably Delph was roundly booed and hissed at on his first return to Villa Park in the colours of City on Sunday, November 8.

It was Remi Garde's first game in charge and was actually one of Villa's best performances in a gruesome relegation season.

Delph came on as a 78th minute substitute for Yaya Toure and had inflatable snakes waved in his direction as he entered the field in the 0-0 draw.

He nearly delivered a sting in the tail, nodding a good chance wide of Brad Guzan's goal.

While Villa, who also had to come to terms with losing Christian Benteke to Liverpool that summer, finished rock bottom of the Premier League, Delph went on to win the top flight title at the Etihad in 2018 and 2019 before joining Everton.