Chief executive Tom Fox believes Aston Villa can close the gap on the Premier League's leading clubs, but has warned their rise will take time.

Villa issued a statement of intent over the weekend after tying England midfielder Fabian Delph to a new four-and-a-half year deal.

They have battled relegation for the past three seasons and American owner Randy Lerner, who has scaled back his investment, put the club on the market last year.

Fox, a former chief commercial officer at Arsenal, is keen to...

Fabian Delph has revealed he would never have left Aston Villa on a free transfer and values loyalty over money.

The midfielder has signed a new four-and-a-half year deal at the club and insisted he always saw his future at Villa.

Delph suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in 2010 but has since become an England international, making his debut against Norway last year.

And he insisted he wanted to pay back both the club and chairman Randy Lerner for their support and would not have been tempted...