Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is set to join newly promoted Ipswich Town on a one year loan deal.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the 28-year-old is set to undergo medical tests at Portman Road. It will be a straight loan deal without any recall or buy clause included. Everton and Fulham both showed interest in signing Phillips earlier this window but decided against making a move for the midfielder.
🚨🚜 Kalvin Phillips has just completed medical tests at Ipswich Town.
Time for media stuff now and then loan move from Man City expected to be announced this weekend. pic.twitter.com/HGd4hVMxY1
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 15, 2024
Phillips rose to prominence when he was at Leeds United, where his impressive performances earned him a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the European Championship. The midfielder started every game of England’s 2021 Euros campaign, proving himself to be a valuable member of the national side.
Man City signed Phillips for £45 million in July 2022. However, in his first 18 months at the Etihad Stadium, the England international started just two Premier League games. The lack of game time led to Phillips joining West Ham on a six-month loan deal in January, hoping to regain his form ahead of England’s 2024 Euros squad.
Unfortunately, his stint at West Ham was disastrous. He was limited to just three starts, made glaring errors in the games he played, and was sent off against Nottingham Forest. Pep Guardiola did give him plenty of chances in City’s pre-season tour of the US. However, the midfielder struggled, making plenty of mistakes and generally looking under confident.
Seeing his sub par performances in the middle of the park, Guardiola decided to field Kalvin Phillips as a centre-back instead. While the Englishman did play fairly well, this was a clear indication that the manager did not see him as a suitable midfielder for the team anymore. This further increased speculations of an Etihad Stadium exit for the 28-year-old.
Phillips will be confident of getting regular game time with Ipswich Town, who will be an exciting team to watch under Scott McKenna. With it being evident that he has no future at Manchester, the 28-year-old will be looking to show his class in the loan spell and secure a permanent move at either Ipswich or another top-tier team.
