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Kalvin Phillips has been loaned to West Ham from Manchester City for the remainder of the season.
The two teams reached a deal for a straightforward loan, with the Hammers not having the option to purchase the 28-year-old player. They beat out competition from Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Barcelona, and Juventus to secure his services.
On Thursday, Phillips underwent a medical exam and officially became David Moyes’ first signing of the January transfer window. He is the third midfielder to join the team since Declan Rice’s departure to Arsenal for £105m, following the signings of Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse.
In 2022, City paid £42.5m to acquire Phillips from Leeds. However, he only played in six matches for them and was only in the starting lineup for two Premier League games. Throughout this season, he only played a total of 89 minutes in top-flight football.
On Thursday, Pep Guardiola, the city manager, proposed that the English player could potentially come back to the Etihad Stadium and contribute.
“Absolutely, why not?” he responded. “He needs to play in order for me to understand how mistaken I was. For those who show good behavior, I am not concerned, but for individuals like him who contribute to our team during every practice and the few minutes he has played, I always wonder what more I could do. Hopefully, he will have the opportunity to play consistently. So, why not?”
Phillips was not able to replace Rodri in the City team, but Guardiola also chose other players such as Mateo Kovacic, Rico Lewis, and Bernardo Silva ahead of him. Guardiola stated that he takes responsibility for this decision rather than blaming the midfielder.
The City manager mentioned that in that role, we require something else that I sometimes have difficulty recognizing. However, the player’s skill is undeniable, which is why he has been selected for the national team. Just look at his performance at Leeds. The talent is evident.
“I hold myself more accountable than Kalvin. While I don’t regret my actions with others, I do regret them with him, given his behavior. It is my duty to assist the players in their growth and improvement, and to align with our goals, yet I was unable to fulfill this.”
The source is the website independent.co.uk.
