In a recent report, Manchester Evening News mentioned that Manchester City are keen on signing Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United. Fernandinho’s departure has left the Sky Blues with a void to fill in the central areas of the pitch and Pep Guardiola believes Phillips would fit the bill perfectly.
Phillips’ Campaign For Leeds United This Season
The 26-year-old has undergone a difficult campaign at Leeds United, as a hamstring injury halted his influential displays confining him to the sidelines. Despite that, he managed to score one goal and create one assist over 22 appearances this season across all competitions.
Phillips hasn’t fared well on the offence as compared to the previous campaigns for his boyhood club. However, he has done well defensively to average 2.7 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 0.8 clearances per game in the Premier League. He has also been tidy with his ball distribution after completing 81.8% of his attempted passes in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
How Could Phillips’ Arrival At Manchester City Turn The Tides In His Career?
The English international usually drops deep between the defenders allowing the centre-backs to go wide and full-backs to move forward on their flanks. This stretches the opposition, creating space for the attackers in the final third.
The defensive midfielder is adept at delivering long passes accurately allowing him to split the opposition and proficiently set up his teammates in front of the goal. Furthermore, he has a strong presence in the central areas of the pitch and can time his tackles well to earn the ball back from the opposition.
His arrival at the Etihad club would demand tough competition with Rodri in the holding position. He could better his game playing in a Champions League club and that could guarantee his place as a starter for England in the Winter World Cup at the end of this year.
A move to the Mancunian giants would be beneficial for Kalvin Phillips as he would be partnering with his England teammates who could very well earn their place under Gareth Southgate’s national squad.
