The former Aston Villa CEO has praised Fabian Delph.
Speaking to The Independent, former Aston Villa chief executive Tom Fox has described Fabian Delph as a “top person” for what he did in the summer of 2015.
The 27-year-old was one of Aston Villa’s best players but joined Manchester City in a surprise £8 million move, a matter of days after pledging his future to the Villa Park side.
Delph was supposed to be available on a Bosman that summer but the England international penned a new contract in January – a u-turn which sparked fury within the fanbase.
The former Leeds starlet is now a fiercely unpopular figure among Aston Villa supporters, but Fox, also rather disliked by fans, has given the midfielder credit.
“Fabian could have left in the summer on a free transfer, but he recommitted with a buy-out in there and basically handed the owner a significant sum of money,” he told The Independent.
“That enabled us to do something with the money. I think he’s a top person for doing that, even though the fans were upset when he left.”
Villa went on to lose Christian Benteke less than a week later and the two departures are seen as watershed moments for a now-Championship club following their relegation that season.
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