In the summer transfer window, Manchester City has been heavily linked with Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
The speculation surrounding Kalvin Phillips’ future is growing as Manchester City is increasingly linked with the Leeds midfielder this summer.
One bookmaker has suspended betting on Phillips joining City, while reports suggest that both sides of the Pennines expect Leeds’ talisman to join the Premier League champions – possibly for a fee as high as £50 million.
If Phillips, who helped England reach the Euro 2020 final and was a key cog in Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds machine, joins, it could be a wise signing. Phillips, on the other hand, has struggled with injury this season, as Leeds narrowly avoided relegation on the final day – albeit when Phillips was fit – and he was far from convincing in England’s Nations League matches this month.
Phillips would be signed as a back-up to Rodri in defensive midfield after Fernandinho’s departure, with Ilkay Gundogan also capable of dropping back into the holding role, and other options like Joao Cancelo and Aleks Zinchenko coming in from full-back. Phillips wouldn’t be thrown straight into the mix and would be given the chance to adapt to Pep Guardiola’s methods.
There are plenty of positives to signing Phillips. He would count as a homegrown player, he is an international with two years of Premier League experience, and the potential to improve in a better team. His time under Marcelo Bielsa shows he could adapt to Pep Guardiola’s approach, while City and Leeds are not direct competitors in the Premier League, so Leeds may find it hard to stop a loyal player from getting a deserved step up if he wants to leave and the fee is right.
The city has done well in recent years in attracting the best players from Premier League rivals. They signed Jack Grealish, who weakened Aston Villa, and Riyad Mahrez is another example of a signing that strengthens the Blues while removing a key player from an opponent. In a season of razor-thin margins, gaining an advantage over one opponent over the course of two games could mean the difference between winning and losing the championship.
Nathan Ake is another player who rose through the ranks to prove he can compete at the top of the league. The city will be hoping Grealish can do the same next season, and those two players are good examples of how Phillips might adapt.
Coming from the main man in a smaller team to one of many top players in a bigger squad isn’t always easy, especially when City’s style of play often takes a season to master at least. The city spent £140m on Grealish and Ake, but both needed that first season to break into the team properly.
With City limited to the number of non-homegrown players they can name in their Premier League squads, being homegrown has a clear advantage. Signing Phillips ensures that they can develop a new defensive midfielder without taking up valuable squad space.
If they do, they must accept that they may not get immediate results from a player who has spent the last year battling injury and relegation. There may be better options in the market if they want to use Phillips as a like-for-like rotation option for Rodri.
Leave a Reply