Delph heading back to Elland Road

Leeds appear set to re-sign former midfielder Fabian Delph on loan until the end of the season.

Delph, 22, was a product of Leeds’ youth academy. He broke into the first team properly in the 2008-09 season and quickly attracted Premier League interest from both Newcastle United and Arsenal. This interest was compounded once Delph broke into the England under-21 set-up in spite of plying his trade in League One.

Delph’s good form continued for the remainder of the season and he won a plethora of awards, including young player of the year at the Football League Awards. Leeds had hoped to keep hold of their young protégé, however, defeat to Millwall in the playoff semi-finals made this dream unrealistic.

Leeds turned down offers from Everton, Fulham and Sunderland for Delph, but finally relented when Aston Villa met their valuation (which remained undisclosed). Delph’s Villa career was somewhat stop start. It was clear from the start that Delph was struggling to bridge the gap from League One to Premier League football and that this was a hindrance to his progression. Therefore, he had to settle for bit part roles as appropriate and outings in cup competitions.

Unfortunately for Delph he suffered a cruciate ligament injury in training in April 2010 which kept him out for 10 months. Despite his development being halted by a serious injury, Villa still believe Delph has what it takes to be a success and offered him a four-year contract back in March 2011.

With competitive starts hard to come by, and with Leeds seeking midfield reinforcements ahead of Howson’s impending move to Norwich, Delph is the obvious fit to fill that void. Talks have been on-going between the two clubs and it is likely that the move will be wrapped up shortly.

Posted by DanB on January 18, 2012. Filed under Aston Villa, FA Barclays Premiership, Leeds United, NPower Championship. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.