The eye-catching £20m Everton summer swoop that could be pivotal for player and club
The Toffees are being linked with a move for a Manchester City star
At the risk of being overly melodramatic, this summer may prove to be make or break for Kalvin Phillips. After a big money move to Manchester City that has, diplomatically speaking, underwhelmed, and a subsequent loan stint with West Ham that could hardly have unfolded in less auspicious fashion, the midfielder stands at a crossroads in his career. Wander down the wrong path, and relative obscurity beckons.
It wasn’t so very long ago that the 28-year-old had the world at his feet. A talisman for boyhood club Leeds United, and an (apparently) irreplaceable component of Gareth Southgate’s promising England side, the Yorkshire Pirlo looked to be on the cusp of something massive. Nobody could have foreseen, however, that the ‘something’ in question would be a series of disappointments and a traipse through the doldrums.
As a consequence, the widespread assumption is that Phillips will leave the Etihad in some capacity over the coming weeks. You suspect that a permanent exit would be preferable for both player and club, but failing that, another crack at a Premier League loan spell may be attempted. At the time of writing, it is understood that City could listen to offers of around £20 million for their asset. The issue, of course, is that the midfielder’s stock as plummeted dramatically in recent times, and as such, the queue of potential suitors vying for his signature has notably shortened.
But there is one club who are seemingly still keen. With Amadou Onana edging ever closer to a move to Aston Villa, the likelihood is that Everton are going to be in the market for fresh blood in the engine room sooner rather than later. And according to former Goodison Park CEO Keith Wyness, the Toffees may well turn their attention to Phillips once Onana’s exit is rubber-stamped.
Speaking to Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, he said: “The whisper is they will move for Kalvin Phillips, who Everton have been linked with for a while before. That would bring great experience into the midfield. He’s not quite the Onana-type player, but he’s similar and would certainly give a lot of experience and steel in the midfield. That’s something we were perhaps missing a little bit last year. I think Sean will go for experience, someone like Phillips and that’s something we’ll have to keep an eye on.”
Only time will tell whether Wyness’ claims come to fruition, but certainly, it is entirely possible that Everton could position themselves for a swoop. And if they do, it could be a pivotal transfer for both player and club.
Evidently, Phillips needs a fresh start, and the Toffees would provide him with that. But just as crucially, Sean Dyche needs to be sure that whoever succeeds Onana in the centre of the park is a worthy and suitable replacement.
As Wyness alludes to, the Belgian is a different proposition to Phillips; more driving in possession, more physically robust. But the City star has strengths of his own, and his exemplary range of distribution, coupled with his knack for disrupting attacks and regaining possession for his side would make him a handy asset for Everton.
Of course, a lot of this will hinge on which version of Phillips turns up on Merseyside, should the Toffees push ahead with an agreement. Will it be the precocious midfield general who impressed so excellently for Leeds, or will it be the anonymous shadow of his former self that trundled through his time with West Ham? The hope will be that it is the former, and that both he and Everton can reap the rewards of a return to his very best.