Speculation about what the future might hold for Leeds United’s previously nicknamed ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ has almost been at fever pitch on the January transfer window’s rumour mill, but it now seems that the England midfielder could be swapping Manchester City for West Ham United for the remainder of the campaign.
28 year old Kalvin Phillips has seen himself linked with a host of clubs over the last few months, and there has been plenty of talk of a European adventure and a spell in Italy’s Serie A, or even maybe the German Bundesliga.
The rumours were not going to go away as gaffer Pep Guardiola is previously on record as saying he cannot give Phillips the game time he deserves or wants, despite the club paying Leeds £45 million and handing him a six year contract back in the summer of 2022.
His game time this season has been woeful and he only has two starts to his name, and England manager Gareth Southgate has previously stated that unless Phillips starts getting better match minutes in the second half of the season, then his future England place is definitely under threat moving forward.
Despite plenty of strong speculation linking him with a potential move to Serie A, with Roma and Juventus being regular links, it is now being reported that he has actually struck an agreement with fellow Premier League side West Ham United.
Many fans may be surprised to learn that the loan deal for the remainder of the campaign is likely to see the London club cover his whole wages, but as part of that deal, there is an optional buy clause included and many Hammers fans will make an educated guess that the set buy fee reflects their coverage of his wages in full. It may have also impacted on the loan fee itself, as it was also reported City wanted a sizeable return on that front, and it had put many clubs – Newcastle United amongst them – off moving forward on a deal.
His capture, as a medical later this week is likely to be a formality, will be a massive boost to Moyes after their recent injury issues, and for Phillips it is obviously an opportunity to get much needed game time ahead of this summer’s European Championships which will be hosted by Germany this year.
Given his minutes so far, whether or not he takes a few games to get up to speed and replicate his old Leeds form is open for debate, but for those who feel Declan Rice continues to be a big miss for them after his big money move to Arsenal, Phillips could well prove to be a nice replacement.