Pep Guardiola’s remarks about a costly Manchester City player seem to indicate that he has no future at the Etihad. TEAMtalk can confirm that Tottenham will challenge Newcastle for a January transfer.
When Man City paid £45 million to acquire Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips in the summer of 2022, many took notice.
Phillips was a regular starter for England and regarded as one of the best center midfielders in the Premier League at the time. In light of that, City’s move was not entirely unexpected.
The decision was strange, though, because Rodri, who is a City favorite, is a year older than Phillips.
When healthy and not suspended, Rodri plays as perhaps the best holding midfielder in the world.
It’s therefore not shocking that Phillips has only been able to play in 29 games since moving to the Etihad. The fact that the 28-year-old’s 29 outings have only accrued 809 minutes is even more worrisome.
Furthermore, Pep Guardiola frequently uses a defender to fill the hybrid midfield role when Rodri isn’t available.
Over the past 18 months, Phillips has been selected behind Rico Lewis, John Stones, and Manuel Akanji in midfield at different times.
Phillips’ career has reached a standstill and is at a crossroads; the direction he takes in the coming month could have a significant impact on his global career.
In fact, Phillips needs to start every game from now until the end of the campaign if he wants to be considered for Gareth Southgate’s starting lineup for Euro 2024.
Due to Phillips’ unwavering will to battle for his spot at the Etihad, his summer transfer attempt was unsuccessful.
He is believed to have changed his mind since then, though, and it appears like he will go in January—probably through a loan.
Now, City manager Guardiola has unintentionally made a brutally honest criticism of Phillips in statements that were published by The Daily Mail.
Guardiola acknowledged during a press conference on Friday that despite his best efforts, he is unable to see any situation in which Phillips would be a member of Man City’s football team.
Guardiola remarked, “I don’t know what will happen to Kalvin Phillips.” He has good character, and I regret not selecting him.
“I find it difficult to see him when I visualize my team and choose a team.”
Phillips Transfer Insider is ready for rescue by Tottenham and Newcastle. The current favorites to sign Phillips next month are Newcastle, according to Dean Jones, who spoke with TEAMtalk on December 5.
Although Sandro Tonali’s 10-month suspension for breaking betting rules is a major problem in center midfield, the Magpies are currently facing a crisis of injuries.
Given that he would be signed on loan, Phillips would thus constitute a rather risk-free alternative. When he moved to the base of midfield, Bruno Guimaraes would have greater freedom to play box-to-box.
Jones did, however, also disclose that Tottenham is anticipated to communicate with Man City in light of their own impending midfield problem.
Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr could miss up to a month of play because they are traveling for the Africa Cup of Nations in early 2024.
Sarr will lead Senegal to triumph, and Bissouma will lead Mali to victory. The competition begins on January 13 and continues through February 11.
Spurs are rumored to want to add players under the age of 24, but they may have to make concessions because of their limited budget before player sales.
Tottenham is also looking for a wide forward and a center-half. The pursuit of a center back will take precedence, so Phillips’s low-cost, happy-go-luck loan could make sense.
Leave a Reply