Danny Wright

Tue 16 August 2022 6:33, UK

West Brom are in the hunt to sign former Aston Villa midfielder Fabian Delph on a free transfer, according to the Daily Mail.

The newspaper reported via their print edition on Tuesday (16 August, page 69) that Albion are keen on signing Manchester City striker Liam Delap on loan but face competition from Stoke.

It is understood that the Baggies are also “exploring a deal” for 32-year-old Delph, who was released by Everton at the end of last season.

Midfield reinforcements needed

After Alex Mowatt was inexplicably loaned to promotion rivals Middlesbrough, West Brom need to add to their midfield options.

As it stands, Jake Livermore, Jayson Molumby, Okay Yokuslu and Taylor Gardner-Hickman are Albion’s only central and defensive midfield players in the senior squad.

However, Yokuslu might not be fully up to speed any time soon and Gardner-Hickman seems to be seen more as a right-back by Steve Bruce judging by his one and only appearance so far this season.

Delph is an experienced central or holding midfielder who could definitely do a job for West Brom.

Although he’s a former Aston Villa player, he’s a player with over 200 appearances in the Premier League, two Premier League titles, 20 caps for England and is available on a free transfer due to being released by Everton earlier in the summer.

At Everton last season, Delph was injured a lot and that is a worry.

However, he did get a handful of starts at the back-end of the campaign and played a vital role in helping the Toffees avoid relegation by impressing in wins over Manchester United, Chelsea and Leicester.

If Bruce is working with a very limited budget now – which is likely – then signing a free agent with the experience Delph has could be a good option.

We are, however, worried by his injury record.

In other West Brom news, Guochuan Lai has left Bruce up the creek without a paddle.

Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook for 24/7 updates from The Hawthorns during the 2022 summer transfer window.