Stephen Warnock lauds Everton’s new signing Fabian Delph

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Fabian Delph joined Everton from Premier League champions Manchester City this summer.

Stephen Warnock has claimed that he’s been told that Fabian Delph has been ‘head and shoulders’ above everyone in pre-season as he brushed off those people who have been questioning his signing.

England international Delph made a switch from Premier League champions Manchester City to Goodison Park this summer, as he will be hoping to provide experience and added quality to Marco Silva’s midfield.

During his time at the Etihad Stadium, Delph won Premier League titles, including winning the domestic treble last season, but he played a sporadic role during those dominant seasons under Pep Guardiola.

Speaking to the Monday Night Club on BBC Radio 5 Live (29/07/2019 at 9:20 pm), former left-back Warnock, who played with Delph at Aston Villa, shared nothing but praise for Everton’s summer recruit.

“I have played with Fabian so I know what he’s like,” Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I know what his characteristics are and I know what his ability is on the ball. There were a lot of people when he came into the club who were saying, ‘they’re not too sure if this is a great deal’. He didn’t play that much at Manchester City, but there’s no shame in that.

“And then he played against Wigan, the other night, and I spoke to a couple of guys who said ‘he was head and shoulders above everyone’. He wanted the ball off fullbacks. He wanted the ball off centre-backs. That’s the difference in the player you are bringing into the club. He’s being coached by Pep Guardiola, who sees a different side of the game.

“That won’t just affect what he does, it’ll affect all the players in and around him, who’ll learn off him. And that’s what you have got to do. When a player comes in of that level, you’ll straightaway be saying, ‘how does Guardiola do it?’ ‘What do they do in training?’.”

The recent departure of Idrissa Gueye makes Delph’s signing even more important because even though Everton will still have to replace the Senegal international, Delph can still provide that defensive bite that will now be missing.

The other positive about Delph’s signing is that he will compliment what Marco Silva already has in his ranks, and he will also provide a helping hand to the younger players such as Tom Davies.

There is a lot of pressure on Silva heading into the new campaign because they are the biggest team outside of the top-six and European football is their aim ahead of the new campaign.