West Bromwich Albion are currently considering a move for free-agent midfielder Fabian Delph, according to a report from the Daily Mail (16/8 paper edition; page 69).

The 32-year-old was released on the expiration of his contract at Everton this summer after making just 27 league appearances for the Toffees during his three-year spell at Goodison Park.

Suffering with injury troubles during his time on Merseyside, he was unable to make a similar impact to the one he made at former club Manchester City, contributing well to the cause at the Etihad Stadium despite not being one of the first names on the teamsheet.

 

 

Albion are currently on the prowl for another central midfielder following the departure of Alex Mowatt, who has joined Middlesbrough on a season-long loan after becoming a fringe player under Steve Bruce at The Hawthorns.

And they have seemingly identified 32-year-old Delph (via West Brom News) as a potential option to come in and provide some much-needed depth in the middle of the park.

At this stage though, it's currently unclear whether he would be a regular starter in the Midlands with Bruce already having the likes of Okay Yokuslu, Jayson Molumby and Jake Livermore at his disposal, as well as John Swift who can operate in a deep midfield role.

The Verdict:

Considering his lack of appearances in recent years, many of the second-tier side's supporters may be underwhelmed with this potential signing and some may have even preferred to keep Mowatt.

The latter showed at Barnsley that he can contribute heavily going forward and he could have been a potential alternative to Swift in an advanced role, something Delph probably won't be able to do.

If the ex-Leeds United man is happy to play a bit-part role though and Albion can agree a sensible financial package for him, then this could turn out to be a reasonably decent move.

It shouldn't be forgotten that he has also played at left-back before too and that's another position the Baggies need to address, so this is a big reason why this signing could prove to be more of a success than many people think it may be.

Keeping him fit will be key though - because they will be looking to have him available for most of the season to provide competition and cover for the likes of Molumby and Yokuslu.