Manchester city FLOP Kalvin Phillips has left West Ham this morning to join shocking Premier League Rivals after his Loan Spell was over this summer
Everton are interested in acquiring Kalvin Phillips on loan from Manchester City, but is it a calculated gamble worth taking, or another foolish move for a star on the decline?
The Blues were burnt over another England international midfielder, Dele Alli, on the penultimate day of the 2022 winter transfer window, which also happened to be the day Frank Lampard was hired. With the former Chelsea manager already bringing in Donny van de Beek on loan from Manchester United, and the club having used up their other domestic loan slot earlier in the month by acquiring Anwar El Ghazi from Aston Villa three days before Rafael Benitez was fired (the winger would play just 11 minutes of action in the form of two brief cameos off the bench against Leeds United and Manchester City), Dele needed to come in on a permanent basis.
As everyone in football knows, Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy strikes a hard bargain, and the notoriously tough negotiator, who the ECHO understands later that year agreed a price for Richarlison with his Everton counterpart Bill Kenwright in Scott’s, at a swanky Mayfair seafood restaurant, only to try and reduce his offer, allowed the Blues to take Dele on an initial free transfer but inserted a number of appearance-related fees and other clauses that could pot As it turned out, the man who had been named the world’s most valuable midfielder by the famous CIES Football Observatory four years prior was unable to regain such form.
Dele did not play this season after an interview with Gary Neville in July in which he spoke candidly about a variety of off-the-field challenges he has experienced throughout his childhood and adult life, which was followed by additional injury disappointment. While his contract expires at the end of this month, Everton stated before of their final game of the season that he will stay with the club while he undergoes an intense rehabilitation programme for a long-term groin ailment that he has lately sustained away from Merseyside.
Phillips, 28, is the same age as Dele, but if the Blues can obtain him on a temporary deal, they can give it a go before making a permanent commitment. Director of football Kevin Thelwell has stated that a sustainable football model must be based on savvy trade both in and out of the club, and a loan transfer for the Etihad Stadium misfit might suit the bill in terms of a cost-effective signing.
Phillips has only started two Premier League games for Manchester City, and he suffered the humiliation of manager Pep Guardiola suggesting he was overweight, a statement for which the Catalan subsequently apologized. After a disappointing loan stay at West Ham United in the second part of the season, his present stock is low.
Phillips, who was signed by David Moyes on January 26, had a disastrous start at home to Bournemouth on February 1 when he passed the ball to visiting striker Dominic Solanke in the third minute, allowing the Cherries to score in a 1-1 draw. He went on to make only eight appearances for the Hammers, failing to finish a match and only playing more than 45 minutes once, in a 2-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.
While the outstanding data surrounding the man previously known as ‘The Yorkshire Pirlo’ during his time in east London may appear lackluster, looking through his statistics on Comparisonator reveals a few precious nuggets of promise. Only two other Premier League players in his position, Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva (3.4) and Rodri (2.63), were able to improve Phillips’ 2.58 progressive runs per 90 minutes while at West Ham.
