January Transfer Window Rumours/Suggestions/Hearsay/Heresy/Horseplay

[The Edge]

Having a release claude doesn't mean a player must move. It's just that he has the option. It's more likely that the club, and maybe Sherwood, wanted the money to spend elsewhere as he knew he wouldn't be given a lot to spend. He had the Benteke and Delph money and backed himself to make the signings - I can't remember him decrying Delph's change of mind so it seems most likely to be have been driven by us.

Plus it was clear Delph was happy at Villa. He described us as his club. Why then would he spill the beans and paint us in a very embarrassing picture?

Who's Claude?

[peter w]

Having a release claude doesn't mean a player must move. It's just that he has the option. It's more likely that the club, and maybe Sherwood, wanted the money to spend elsewhere as he knew he wouldn't be given a lot to spend. He had the Benteke and Delph money and backed himself to make the signings - I can't remember him decrying Delph's change of mind so it seems most likely to be have been driven by us.

Plus it was clear Delph was happy at Villa. He described us as his club. Why then would he spill the beans and paint us in a very embarrassing picture?

A release clause of £8 million for a player of Delph's standing is akin to having no release clause whatsoever.  How many PL teams wouldn't have paid £8 million for an England midfielder?  You'd probably find that several are still prepared to do so today, despite the backward turn in Delph's career.

Why would the club want to sell Delph for peanuts, risk relegation and replace him with someone who was unproven?  There is absolutely no way on God's planet that Sherwood would want to let the linchpin of his midfield go so that he could have £8 million to spend.  He already had £40 odd million available.

Well this is getting into other areas that we don't know about -  why have the release clause if you don't intend to move. I think that was put in as a thank-you from the club. A kind of reward for signing on. Alternatively he was one of the biggest earners that the club new in January that they wanted to move on - they are likely to have known about Man City's interest as no other club came in for him so it must have been sewn up pretty early. Delph probably bulked at it because he either didn't want to move or felt uncomfortable about - probably because of THAT video.

Thing is we just don't know. We're all guessing. I'd welcome him back as would the vast majority if he were to sign on the dotted line.

[JJ-AV]

If we signed him back after 1-2 good games and a statement he'd be getting cheered.

If I was him I'd do it. He needs fitness and form, The Championship gives him a good platform to do that, he knows the club and some of the players and it would stop the hate. If he goes somewhere else he's got the incessant booing following him around his career.

Six months with us could lead to a better move than he could get now... I mean does he really want to go and play for Pulis?!

[KevinGage]

If he is available, I'd say West Ham or Everton are more likely destinations.

Could understand Citeh not being agreeable to a loan to a potential top 4 rival. But a demotion to the Championship at his age would be a hard sell.

[supertom]

I wonder if Messi has a quiet run we might be able to tempt him over to the club. He might like the project of taking a struggling side up to the top flight and single-handedly winning us the Premier League.

What? This is beginning to turn into a fantasy thread, so I'm gonna join in and set my sets a bit higher than Fabian Bang Average Delph.

[JJ-AV]

If he is available, I'd say West Ham or Everton are more likely destinations.

Could understand Citeh not being agreeable to a loan to a potential top 4 rival. But a demotion to the Championship at his age would be a hard sell.

Everton are getting Schneiderlin and West Ham are shit. TBF you're probably right, but if I were Delph I'd be looking at us or Newcastle and getting some form together and trying to secure a better move in the Summer.

[Old Kodjia]

I wonder if Messi has a quiet run we might be able to tempt him over to the club. He might like the project of taking a struggling side up to the top flight and single-handedly winning us the Premier League.

What? This is beginning to turn into a fantasy thread, so I'm gonna join in and set my sets a bit higher than Fabian Bang Average Delph.

Would you class McCarthy of Everton at £13 million "fantasy" as well?

The thread title suggests that fantasy is a fair topic of discussion, given that Delph has been mentioned in at least 2 newspaper articles.

I don't believe that Messi has been linked so you are just being silly and contributing nothing whatsoever to the thread.

[The Edge]

I wonder if Messi has a quiet run we might be able to tempt him over to the club. He might like the project of taking a struggling side up to the top flight and single-handedly winning us the Premier League.

What? This is beginning to turn into a fantasy thread, so I'm gonna join in and set my sets a bit higher than Fabian Bang Average Delph.

So you have set your sets on Messi?
I know what you mean I just don't know what your on about. 

[passitsideways]

Don't really fancy McCarthy at 13 million - from watching him in the past year or so, he comes off to me as basically a slightly better Cleverley, who in turn is a slightly better Westwood, which doesn't really fill me with confidence.

[VancouverLion]

Delph would be more tempted to drop a division if it were Leeds calling for him, don't you think?
Not a chance he'll be joining us anytime soon.

[frank black]

Fabian Delph will not be dropping a division. One fake link on the web and off we go..

[SoccerHQ]

Anyone know when we signed Gana in relation to D^lph staying leaving?

Only thing I can think of regarding that is we signed Gana and needed the D^lph money to pay Lille so didn't want him to stay.

I really couldn't understand us forcing him out regardless as after Benteke went he would be seen in the press and public as our best player and captain of course so easily the most marketable player on our books....you just don't force those types out of your club.

Said it before but I'd love a book written on the Lerner years....so much material there!

[VinnieChase84]

I got told at the time that the Delph u turn had a LOT more to do with Tom Fox and one of the reasons why Fabian hasn't spoken about it since really

[Axl Rose]

I wonder if Messi has a quiet run we might be able to tempt him over to the club. He might like the project of taking a struggling side up to the top flight and single-handedly winning us the Premier League.

What? This is beginning to turn into a fantasy thread, so I'm gonna join in and set my sets a bit higher than Fabian Bang Average Delph.

Would you class McCarthy of Everton at £13 million "fantasy" as well?

The thread title suggests that fantasy is a fair topic of discussion, given that Delph has been mentioned in at least 2 newspaper articles.

I don't believe that Messi has been linked so you are just being silly and contributing nothing whatsoever to the thread.

Calm down Old Kodjia. It's only supertom's viewpoint.

[mr underhill]

exactly - I have it from an impeccable source that he's already been spotted at BH