West Ham have reportedly become the latest club to join the race to sign Kalvin Phillips.
That’s according to a recent report from Football Insider, who claims the Hammers have joined Newcastle United in pursuit of the out-of-favour Manchester City midfielder.
Despite joining the Cityzens from Leeds United just over 12 months ago, Phillips, 27, has failed to become part of Pep Guardiola’s first-team plans.
The Spanish mastermind is thought to have concerns over the Englishman’s athleticism and speed which hamper his ability to cover the ground in order to help prevent counter-attacks.
Consequently, the treble-winners are now preparing for his exit in January which could be a loan or a permanent sale.
David Moyes has a long-standing interest in Phillips having seen a £50 million bid rejected just six months before he joined City (Sky Sports).
Newcastle are also heavily linked with a January approach as Eddie Howe seeks to find cover for the suspended Sandro Tonali following the Italian’s illegal betting activity while playing for AC Milan.
During his first, and likely last, season at the Etihad, Phillips, who has four-and-a-half-years left on his contract, has featured in 29 games, in all competitions. Just two of those appearances have been Premier League starts though.
Phillips is a fish out of water at City. Pep gives every player a chance and the lad is found wanting. It’s no big deal as many other players have come up short when judged by Pep. So, the lad should leave permanently this January and try prove Pep wrong. I am certain Kalvin will do very well whether he goes to Villa, Newcastle, Spurs, Bayern, West Ham, Liverpool, Everton or United.
Guy has no desire to play happy to pick up big pay cheques for sitting on the bench. Don’t want him at west ham we are building an exciting young team who want to win things! He should go to Saudi like Henderson and fill up his bank account that’s what rocks his boat