In a recent report, Sky Sports claimed that Newcastle United are facing stiff competition for Manchester City ace Kalvin Phillips. It has been stated that the Magpies will have to rival Crystal Palace, West Ham United, Everton and Juventus in the race to sign the English midfielder this January.
Phillips’ Unimpressive Season At The Etihad Stadium
Phillips has struggled to nail down a regular starting spot at Man City this season but has put in a few impressive displays for them at the centre of the park. The English talent has only featured in ten matches for the Mancunian club during this campaign, finding the back of the net once in the process across all competitions.
The 28-year-old has made all of his appearances as a substitute which explains why he is only averaging 0.8 tackles, 0.5 interceptions and 0.5 clearances per game in the Premier League. He has distributed possession relatively well after completing 89.7% of his attempted passes in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).
His current contract at the Mancunian club will expire in 2028. However, Phillips’ lack of game time could force him to seal a move away from the Etihad Stadium in this January transfer window.
Newcastle United Are Facing Stiff Competition For Phillips: Is He Worth The Fight?
Phillips is a solid tackler of the ball and can make a few timely interceptions for his team in the middle of the park when he is playing regularly on the pitch. He can set up some decent chances for others around him in the opponent’s half but needs to find a way to be more productive going forward.
The English sensation mainly functions as a defensive midfielder but can also play as a box-to-box midfielder or as a central defender if told to do so. He would add more quality to Newcastle boss Eddie Howe’s squad.
Phillips is good enough to fight for a regular starting spot at St. James’ Park in the coming seasons. Thus, he will be well worth the fight, so the Magpies should focus on stepping up their pursuit to land the English midfield ace before the end of this winter transfer window.
