Pundit Ian Wright has claimed that Kalvin Phillips will not want to play for Leeds United anymore due to his desire to win things.
Kalvin Phillips has missed the majority of this season due to injury, he has featured just 12 times in the Premier League this campaign with his most recent start coming last year, according to Transfermarkt. Phillips did return to the matchday squad in Leeds’ previous game against Wolverhampton Wanderers but was an unused substitute.
Despite his injury woes this season, Phillips has had a lot of attention from other clubs in the Premier League, with the main sides concerned being Manchester United and Aston Villa
With the rumours that Phillips has been linked with a move away from Elland Road, Ian Wright spoke on the Kelly and Wrighty Show and claimed that the Yorkshire midfielder doesn’t want to play for Leeds anymore.
“A lot of big teams need a player in that position. He’s a sought-after player. Phillips doesn’t strike me as a player who wants to play for Leeds. He wants to win things. Leeds need to start putting things in place where they’re challenging for Europe for the likes of him and Raphinha to stay but I think Raphinha will leave[this summer],” Wright said.
TIF Thoughts on Ian Wright’s comments…
Wright’s comments come as a big surprise as David Anderson reported recently that Kalvin Phillips has told Leeds that he wants to sign a new deal.
Kalvin Phillips is currently valued at £45 million by Transfermarkt, and although he hasn’t featured much this term, last season he was vital for Leeds in their successful Premier League campaign. Indeed, he featured 29 times in the league, whilst having an average pass accuracy of 85% per game, made an average of 2.6 tackles per game, and won over 50% of his total duels, as per Sofascore.
With Leeds’ poor form this term, and the fact that they currently find themselves in a relegation battle, it may be hard for Phillips not to consider a move away from Elland Road in the summer, especially when clubs who currently play in Europe have shown interest.
However, with Anderson reporting that his sights are set on signing a new deal at the club, perhaps the love he has for the Yorkshire club and the fans has won him over.