Kalvin Phillips Edges Closer To Heartbreaking Manchester City Transfer

SportsMoney Kalvin Phillips Edges Closer To Heartbreaking Manchester City Transfer Zak Garner-Purkis Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I am a business journalist covering European soccer and stadiums. New! Follow this author to improve your content experience.

Got it! Jun 26, 2022, 01:24pm EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Leeds United’s English midfielder Kalvin Phillips applauds fans after the English Premier League . . .

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/ RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images.

An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images.

An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images England midfielder Kalvin Phillips’ move to Manchester City appears to be just a matter of time.

Numerous trusted sources revealed on Friday that a $55 million fee had been agreed and reports over the weekend suggest the transfer is imminent. It’s hard not to feel sorry for Leeds United fans who are losing not only their best player but the person who most embodies the club itself. Born and bred in the Yorkshire city, Phillips has been with the club since the age of 14, he doesn’t just play for the Whites, he supports them too.

“He’s one of our own, it won’t be the same without him,” one fan told Sky Sports’ cameras as news of the fee agreement broke, “I’m absolutely gutted,” another added swallowing back the emotion. It’s a reflection of the esteem the midfielder is held that most of the complaints from fans have not been about Phillips making the switch across the Pennines. They were annoyed about the fee Manchester City paid for him, the consensus being it was far too low.

From a sporting perspective, it’s easy to see why Phillips might want to make the move. Leeds United narrowly escaped relegation on the last day of the season, while City were champions of the division. MORE FOR YOU WWE Extreme Rules 2021 Results: Winners, News And Notes As Roman Reigns Beats The Demon The World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players 2021: Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo Reclaims Top Spot From PSG’s Lionel Messi The Good, Bad And Ugly From The Green Bay Packers’ Win Over The San Francisco 49ers Then there’s the Yorkshireman’s admiration for the manager, Pep Guardiola.

After an excellent performance in a 1-1 draw between the two sides back in the Autumn of 2020 Phillips revealed how impressed by what he’d come up against. “I’ve never seen football like it from any team,” he told The Times , “just how sharp it was, how well coordinated all the movements were. “I was [.

. . ] mesmerized by Pep Guardiola giving me a handshake, and saying, ‘congratulations, well done.

‘ That was nice. ” Of course, not all of the reception to the potential move has been positive. English talent benched LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 07: Jack Grealish of Manchester City looks on from the bench prior to The .

. . [+] FA Community Shield Final between Manchester City and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium on August 07, 2021 in London, England.

(Photo by Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images) The FA via Getty Images Many people have pointed out that Phillips is joining a club that already has arguably one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League in Rodri. Unless there is a shift in Manchester City’s system, which there might well be, Phillips will be sharing duties in his favorite position with the Spaniard. For a player who is now an established starter for the England team, that is a cause for concern.

At Leeds United, Phillips was the heartbeat of the side and an ever-present. But with this transfer, as he enters the peak years of his career, he will no longer have that guarantee. Sharing the opinion of many soccer fans who worry about Phillips’ new career trajectory was former Scotland manager turned pundit Alex McLeish.

“Phillips shouldn’t go somewhere if he’s going to be on the bench, playing every five weeks or something. No,” the ex-Aston Villa coach told Football Insider . “I would say if he is not guaranteed as a Man City stalwart or in the nucleus of the team, he should go somewhere else.

” It’s all slightly reminiscent of last summer when Manchester City spent big on another English one-club man, Jack Grealish. The creative midfielder had been with Aston Villa since the age of six and was the club captain. But a move to the Premier League champions was too much to resist and, much to the distress of the Villa fanbase, he swapped Birmingham for Manchester.

Having been the beating heart of his previous employers it escaped no one’s notice that the role Grealish was given at Manchester City was far less influential. Not only that, he sometimes sat out big games. This was talent wasted, the critics said.

Surprisingly, however, a look at the numbers shows, that while he played far fewer times in the league, Grealish’s total number of games was higher when compared to all but one of his seasons with Villa. The difference is that, with City regularly clocking up close to 60 games a year, there are more opportunities for minutes. But emotionally, you can understand why the Villa fans still feel it’s a waste.

They remember him cutting Liverpool to shreds in a 7-2 victory back in 2020 or dragging them to the Carabao Cup final. More than that, he was a Villa fan through and through, as they used to sing he was “one of their own. ” Brexit and the need for English talent NICE, FRANCE – JUNE 27: An England fan wearing a shirt saying Brexit before the UEFA EURO 2016 Round .

. . [+] of 16 match between England and Iceland at Allianz Riviera Stadium on June 27, 2016 in Nice, France.

(Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images) Getty Images Following Britain’s 2020 departure from the European Union clubs have had to develop different systems for buying and developing talent. Most substantial has been the impact on the approach to the homegrown quota the Football Association insists Premier League clubs have. The rule, implemented in 2015, insists sides have eight players homegrown players-defined as individuals who’ve clocked up at least three years at an English team before the age of 21.

EU freedom of movement laws meant that it was relatively easy for non-English players to qualify. Talented teenagers like Cesc Fabregas and Paul Pogba were signed before turning 18 and as they developed could be used to fill homegrown squad slots. Brexit has, of course, changed all that.

Not only can English sides no longer sign EU players under 18. The new visa process for soccer players in the UK places importance on the level from which the player is joining too. Only truly exceptional talents will get approval.

These days talented foreign youngsters are acquired by English sides and then farmed out to teams in countries where they can get a visa until they stand a chance of qualifying in the UK. But with homegrown quad positions harder to fill, the value of talented English players, like Grealish and Phillips, is even higher than it was before. The impact of Brexit was evident in Manchester City’s intentions in the 2021 transfer window when they attempted to recruit Harry Kane in addition to Grealish.

Adding Phillips this year shows that wasn’t a one-off, regularly acquiring top English talent is a necessity. Not that any of these practicalities make the heartbreak for Leeds United fans at losing their talisman any less painful. The scarcity of one-club men is a sad reality of modern soccer.

The cut-throat churn of the industry means that loyalty is rarely a factor for both players and clubs. For Leeds United and Aston Villa fans having a star who came through the ranks and follows the team as much as you was a beautiful throwback to the way things used to be. Sadly, for everyone, that doesn’t look like changing.

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