Manchester City have completed the signing of Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, the club have confirmed. The England international becomes Pep Guardiola’s third signing of the summer transfer window after Erling Haaland and Stefan Ortega.
Manchester City Complete Kalvin Phillips Swoop From Leeds United
We are delighted to announce the signing of @Kalvinphillips on a six-year deal 🤩
Welcome, Kalvin! 💙#ManCity pic.twitter.com/3fNJthPNIL
— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 4, 2022
Phillips Pushed to Make the Deal Go Through
The Citizens were eager to bolster their midfield with the signing of a hardened personality like Phillips and will pay Leeds around £45 million total for the transfer. However, they weren’t the only one to push for this deal to become reality.
The Englishman was bent on joining the reigning Premier League champions and ensured that his side did not let the opportunity go down in vain. Phillips even rejected proposals from multiple other clubs who wanted to sign him because he didn’t want to join anyone else apart from the Citizens.
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The 26-year-old midfielder wanted to join a club which can regularly compete for major honours and somewhere he can win trophies. Moreover, Phillips is also aware of the perks of working with a tactical genius like Pep Guardiola who, being a former midfielder himself, will definitely help the Englishman unlock his potential at the Etihad Stadium.
Kalvin Phillips is confirmed as the new No.4 for City, taking Vincent Kompany's old number. He signs fior #mcfc on a six-year deal, joining from Leeds in a £42m deal that could rise to £45m pic.twitter.com/kNREwYNyTd
— Simon Bajkowski (@spbajko) July 4, 2022
Phillips’ Role at Manchester City Explained
The England international has been signed to be the successor for ex-City midfielder Fernandinho, who left the club on a free transfer in the summer. Because of how important Rodri is to the side and his authority over the defensive midfield position, Phillips will have to work really hard to carve a regular place for himself on Guardiola’s team.
With that being said, the 26-year-old has made over 20 appearances for England and proven himself against the most intimidating challenges – starring in the Three Lions’ Euro 2020 campaign in which they got to the final. While he is slightly injury prone, having missed 16 games for Leeds last season with a hamstring problem, he’s a machine when fully fit.
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Phillips is a brilliant ball winner and play breaker, something which Guardiola will love. He can even be played with Rodri but possibly in a more advanced role in which he’ll have to make use of his creativity to make chances. But Phillips’ consistency and footballing IQ mean he should excel under Guardiola and help bring a meaner, stubborn side to the Citizens.
