Why West Ham move is perfect for Man City outcast Kalvin Phillips

 

 

Kalvin Phillips is on the move. West Ham United are on the verge of landing the England international on loan from Manchester City until the end of the season. It could be one of those rare deals that suits all three parties. 

 

It is fair to say that Phillips’ time at the Etihad Stadium has been a major disappointment. Signed from Leeds United for £42m in the summer of 2022, the midfielder has struggled for game time virtually ever since.

 

Phillips has made a paltry 16 Premier League appearances for City over the last 18 months, only two of which were starts. Overall he has played just 380 of a possible 5220 top-flight minutes (7.3 percent) for City since the start of last season.


 

At times Guardiola has criticised Phillips. He claimed that the player returned from the 2022 World Cup “overweight” and “not in the right condition to train”. But on other occasions, including in a press conference last month, Guardiola apologised to the 28-year-old for his lack of involvement since his move to Manchester. 

 

“I feel so sorry for my decision for him. I've said that many times,” the City boss said. “He doesn't deserve what has happened to him and I'm so sorry. The only thing I can say about him is I am asking for good personalities and characters and he is a perfect example. It's just because I visualise some things and visualise the team and things - and I struggle to see him.” 

 

That was essentially the final nail in the coffin of Phillips’ Manchester City career. It is not currently known whether the West Ham loan deal contains an option to buy, but the midfielder will surely seek pastures new on a permanent basis this summer. 

 

In the meantime, Phillips needs to remind everyone - not least Gareth Southgate - what he can do. The European Championship is on the horizon and a solid few months of performances for West Ham would give Phillips an excellent chance of starting for England in Germany, at least in certain matches.

 

After so long on the periphery, the former Leeds man will be desperate to simply play football on a more regular basis. Crucially, though, West Ham looks like a good fit for Phillips. David Moyes values players with Premier League experience - that preference reportedly led to clashes with West Ham’s technical director Tim Steidten last summer - and Phillips will duly require little adaptation time. 

 

Edson Alvarez has impressed in the holding role so far this season, but the Mexico international has recently missed a few matches through injury. A midfield pairing of James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek has not convinced over the last few weeks, so there is no doubt that Phillips’ arrival strengthens West Ham in that key part of the pitch.

 

The England midfielder will give the Hammers better control in the centre of the park, while his long passing ability will be useful for a team that still looks most comfortable when playing on the counter-attack. In 2020/21 Phillips ranked joint-fourth among Premier League midfielders for accurate long passes per game with 4.9. The then-Leeds man was also in the top 10 the following season with 3.7. 

 

Midway through that 2020/21 campaign, West Ham signed Jesse Lingard on loan from Manchester United for the remainder of the season. The attacking midfielder was a revelation at the London Stadium, scoring nine goals and providing six assists as Moyes’ men finished sixth and qualified for Europe. Needless to say, West Ham fans will hope Phillips can make a similarly big impact over the next few months.





Why West Ham move is perfect for Man City outcast Kalvin Phillips