Everton and Man City agree on Delph transfer fee

After Paul Joyce broke the news late yesterday that Everton were getting ever closer to signing Manchester City’s Fabian Delph, today we’re seeing more and more media outlets jumping on the bandwagon with news of the transfer fee the two clubs have agreed on.

The 29-year-old, who featured in 89 games for City over four seasons, is apparently wanted by the Blues for his veteran leadership as well as his ability to slot in at various positions on the pitch, including midfield and fullback.

£10m including add-ons for a 20-time England international represents excellent value for the Blues as they look to develop a lean and hungry squad composed of largely young players with some veterans sprinkled in. For City this is a net zero sum as he was signed for about the same amount from Aston Villa four summers ago.

Delph’s reported wages at City are £90,000 per week with one year left on his current deal. At Everton, that would put him just outside the top bracket, with about half a dozen players making more than that.

There remain some concerns with Delph, especially around his injury history which has seen him miss a significant number of games in his City career. Conversely though, coupled with City’s aggressive rotation policy also means he’s got plenty of mileage left on his legs, having played in just 2, 13, 29 and 20 games respectively over the last four seasons.

A number of fans have commented on his leadership role in City’s 2017-18 title-winning season which can be seen in the Amazon documentary, ‘All or Nothing’. The loss of club captain Phil Jagielka this summer means there is a vacancy for some new voices to step up in the dressing room.

While Delph projects to be a valuable backup for the Blues, there are plenty worried that the real reason for the signing is that Idrissa Gueye could be sold, which would leave the Toffees poorer off if the Englishman is the replacement for one of the best Everton players for the last few seasons.