Why Villa's Delph deal is win/win

I remember the chat I had with the other 7500toHolte writers a few weeks back.

"Why didn't Villa give Delph and Vlaar a small pay rise and a few more contract years to get a higher fee for them?"

I couldn't believe they hadn't signed Fabian Delph and Ron Vlaar to a short term deal. It would have ensured Aston Villa would get a fair price for their players, especially when Liverpool and Tottenham lurked around waiting to slap a cut price £4 million on the table for Fabian.

Whatever you value Fabian, £4 million is nowhere near enough for a player of his calibre, let alone the price bump that comes with being an English footballer. £4 million or nothing is exactly the price Delph would have left for had Villa not made this move. Out of contract players attract tiny sums, but players who have just signed a contract can bump up their price by ridiculous numbers. I'd honestly put £12 million down as the minimum Delph would leave for in the summer and I wouldn't be surprised if that number started to near the £20 million mark by the end of bidding, especially if Liverpool and Tottenham both get involved.

Many questioned Fabian's loyalty to the club when contract talks appeared to be off, but I'm not sure many people can question it now. If Delph does move this summer, he has repaid the club with money and a few seasons of good play and I'm not sure many Villa fans can argue with that.