England midfielder Kalvin Phillips could join Crystal Palace on loan this month thanks to Roy Hodgson’s interest in the player.
Phillips, who was England’s player of the year in 2021, was looked at as one of the best holding midfielders after Rodri. Manchester City signed the midfielder a season ago to play alongside the Spaniard in a bid to strengthen their ranks but the English midfielder has failed to make his mark.
In the ongoing season, Phillips has made only four Premier League appearances for City with no starts and 10 in all competitions with two starts. In his debut season with City, he made 21 appearances across all competitions.
Luckily for him, his stock is very high within the Three Lions’ setup and he continues to get call ups from Gareth Southgate during international breaks. However, within City, the player cannot find his place and this is a fact that Pep Guardiola himself has admitted.
The Spanish tactician has also stated that he is up for sale this January, which spurred Hodgson to declare his interest in landing the player.
“He’s a good player”, said Hodgson when asked about his interest in 28-year-old Phillips.
“I would like to think that if Kalvin Phillips is available and a possibility for the club – once again, there will be financial restrictions, who knows whether the club feels they will be able to afford that – but if you’re talking about the level of player, I don’t feel there will be many managers who would not say ‘yeah, we will be really happy to have him come to the club.”
“If they are purely going to sell him, then I don’t think we will be in the market. If they’re going to loan him, I would like to think that we could possibly put our hand up and push ourselves forward.”
Hodgson is not the only one dreaming about landing Phillips, however.
West Ham United have reportedly made an enquiry into signing the Englishman. Newcastle United are also considering his signing to cover for the suspended Sandro Tonali, especially after Joelinton’s bleak injury prognosis.
Juventus have also gone ahead to speak to City about the former Leeds United midfielder but it is understood that Max Allegri, the club’s manager may not sign off on the player’s acquisition for tactical reasons.
Meanwhile, City’s only demand is a loan fee of £7 million and the loaning club to cover his weekly £135,000 wages.
It remains to be seen what Crystal Palace and Hodgson are willing to do to land their man, with other clubs lying in wait.
