Having faced injury concerns and limited playing time during his decade-long spells at Aston Villa and Manchester City, Fabian Delph finally looks to become a more regular Premier League first-teamer. The 29-year-old has signed a three-year deal with Everton after having spent four years with Manchester City.
The scout report explains using analysis how Fabian Delph will fit Everton boss Silvas system at Goodison Park with the help of statistics. The tactical analysis in this scout report also shows how the Portuguese gaffer could make use of Delphs tactics in his setup.
Delph was only featured in 11 appearances for Manchester City in the last season following his 22 career-high league appearances for the Citizens in their Premier League-winning season of 2017/18. Now the move to Goodison Park will provide the English midfielder-come-defender with promising opportunities to play regular football. At Everton, Delph would also offer the Toffeemen his experience of playing with the Premier League champion.
Although Delph doesnt fit the recommended youth profiles sketched by Everton director Marcel Brands, he has impressed boss Marcos Silva who wishes to bring assertive football personalities with title-winning experience into Evertons dressing room.
Positional strength
During his spells at Etihad Stadium and Villa Park, Delph has shown that he is capable of playing anywhere in the midfield. However, as Silva stressed, the veteran midfielder is expected to play as a box-to-box midfielder alongside another midfielder with offensive duties in Silvas anticipated 4-2-3-1 formation.
Delph would be exposed to a right mix of talent to partner in Evertons central midfield including the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Andre Gomes, and Idrissa Gueye. Ideally, Delph and Idrissa Gueye could form a robust midfield partnership with Delph as a box-to-box midfielder and Gueye as a deep-lying playmaker. Both Delph and Gueye possess equally strong athletic characteristics and are not without their attacking talents either thus could collectively offer a balanced midfield in deeper regions of the pitch.
Delph is also capable of playing along the flanks as he has been developed as a left-back under the supervision of Pep Guardiola and possesses a natural tendency to invert and become an auxiliary midfielder. That makes him a player of high tactical versatility. However, since Everton are stacked with a range of options on the wings, including the likes of Oumar Niasse and Calvert-Lewin, Delph would be preferred for a more central role.
The position map of Delph below shows how intense his presence was at the left flank when he was playing at the left-back position at City.
