Phil Hay has finally broken cover over the transfer story that broke on Wednesday night, with John Percy from the Telegraph reporting that Aston Villa are plotting a £14m bid for Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips – and it’s mixed news for fans.
The story claimed that an official bid would be forthcoming and that Leeds would demand £20million for their star player, but Hay claims Bielsa wants to keep the player and that “politically it would be very hard to justify”.
Leeds fans were up in arms after reading the report and one supporter responded, “Journos putting two and two together and getting 17, or even just using the club name as click/buy bait. To reiterate: f*** off.”
However, if he was looking for some reassurance from Phil Hay over the veracity of the report – by far the most reliable journalist for Leeds transfer news – he wasn’t getting it.
Hay responded to that fan with a tweet that read, “John Percy is very good with this stuff. Usually very accurate.”
John Percy is very good with this stuff. Usually very accurate.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) June 13, 2019
However, Hay did then follow up with an update that was more positive for Leeds fans, saying “Money often talks but Bielsa wants to keep him (he’s integral to the way Leeds player) and politically it would be very hard to justify.”
money often talks but Bielsa wants to keep him (he’s integral to the way Leeds play) and politically it would be very hard to justify.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) June 13, 2019
OPINION
Kalvin Phillips was always going to attract attract attention this summer. He was a standout player for Leeds last season and would have been desperately hoping for promotion so he could showcase his skills in the top-flight with Leeds. That hasn’t happened and there has to be a real possibility that he feels this is the time to make the move up. He will have his eyes on the big prize at the moment and another on the England squad, and he will have to do what he feels is right for his career. Of course, Leeds could pull the shutters down and refuse to sell – and Hay’s update claims that Bielsa wants to keep him – but if a player really wants to go, there’s often not much a club can do. The only respite for Leeds fans is that an official bid hasn’t been tabled yet, although Percy claims it will be incoming in the next few weeks. With one eye on new faces, Leeds fans are also going to have to sweat stories like this for the next two months,