Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood is hopeful that Christian Benteke will commit his long-term future to the club at the end of the season.
The Belgian has scored 11 goals in his last nine matches for Villa in all competitions to fire them into the final of the FA Cup and away from the relegation zone in the Premier League.
Benteke has been linked with a move away from Villa in the summer, but Sherwood is optimistic that the decision of Fabian Delph to sign a four-year deal with the Midlands club will encourage the striker to stay.
"This club might be a lot different [next season]," Sherwood told reporters.
"I can't think of too many footballers who would have signed a four-year deal like Fabian Delph did when he could have gone to the top four.
"Maybe Aston Villa is a club they want to show loyalty to. Let's hope they all follow suit. But I believe even if we didn't make a signing we wouldn't be in this position again."
Benteke scored twice in Villa's 3-2 win over Everton on Saturday, which has left them two points clear of the relegation zone in 14th place.
Simon Sinclair
