Kalvin Phillips Leeds United homecoming hits snag as financial requirement revealed amid Man City opposition — YEP 16/4/24
To many, the logical move Kalvin Phillips should make this summer is returning to boyhood club Leeds United where he remains loved and revered, but there are several issues with a homecoming for the Manchester City and England midfielder.
By Joe Donnohue
Despite reports in the national media, the likelihood of
England international Phillips making an Elland Road comeback are particularly
slim, on account of the fact Leeds are not in a position to commit the
necessary resources to signing such a player at this point in time.
Sentimentality is all well and good but since Phillips left
in a £42 million transfer two summers ago, plenty has changed at Elland Road,
not least the ownership. 49ers Enterprises have taken majority control of the
club and are not in the business of expunging financial stability for a
transfer that makes more sense from a PR perspective than in footballing terms.
MailOnline claim Leeds are preparing to push the button on
an initial loan return for Phillips but for any such deal to come to fruition,
allowances will need to be made. The 49ers are unlikely to sanction a move
which sees Leeds cover the entirety of Phillips' reported £150,000-per-week
wages, which would make him the Whites' highest earner by some margin.
Meanwhile, parent club Manchester City are unlikely to subsidise Phillips'
wages by enough of a percentage that would make a loan move palatable for Leeds,
in the event they are promoted back to the Premier League.
Phillips' future is up in the air as the end of 2023/24
nears, with a route back at Man City even less likely than when he left on loan
for West Ham United in January. A permanent stay at the London Stadium is all
but ruled out after just three starts under David Moyes and an inflammatory
reaction to Hammers supporters following defeat against Newcastle United at St
James' Park - a game in which the 28-year-old was substituted on with West Ham
leading 3-1, before conceding a penalty for a foul on Anthony Gordon and
ultimately losing 4-3.
Many a sporting director will perceive Phillips as damaged
goods, a player who has scarcely featured over the past two years, lost his
place in the England squad and has been the subject of comments regarding his
weight by former boss Pep Guardiola. In short, his options are somewhat
limited, which makes a potentially newly-promoted Leeds the obvious destination
to outside observers.
City's asking price is reported to be £30 million which
patently Leeds are in no position to spend while still a Championship club. Nor
are they likely to spend such a sum on a defensive midfielder who turns 29
later this year when 23-year-old pair Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu and
18-year-old Archie Gray have demonstrated this season they can be the future of
Leeds' midfield. If Leeds are to bolster their central midfield options this
summer, it'll likely be for a player with a propensity for finding the net as
Ampadu, Gray, Gruev and Glen Kamara are yet to accumulate a single league goal
between them this season.
The squad planning issue is a mere footnote when taking into
account Leeds' financials. United owe other clubs £190 million in outstanding
transfer fees and are likely to crystallise losses on players this coming
summer as they look to offload the bulk of those currently out on loan, many of
whom arrived for substantial fees. Owing an additional £30 million, even if
that is deferred by a season by bringing Phillips in on an initial loan and
likely spread out over the length of a contract, puts Leeds in a difficult
financial position considering how likely a return to the Championship is for
newly-promoted sides.
Reports of Leeds' willingness to re-sign Phillips are most
probably wide of the mark anyway. The 49ers are not the type to count their
chickens before they've hatched and Leeds' promotion chances have taken a
considerable dent over the past fortnight. And even if the financials involved
in such a deal were appealing, the club's manager Daniel Farke is evidently not
one for sentimentality. His first year at Leeds has seen gradual evolution,
moving away from those who played a central role in the Whites' last promotion;
Luke Ayling joined Middlesbrough on loan in January ahead of his contract
expiring this summer, while club captain Liam Cooper has had to settle for a
place on the bench even when fit, as Joe Rodon and Ampadu have been preferred
at centre-half.
It mirrors the German's approach during his first season at
Norwich City, moving on lots of the club's high-earners and experienced players
whose efficacy was on the wane following relegation from the top flight. He has
also expressed the view that teenager Gray's best position is in midfield and
while his specific role in that area of the pitch is slightly different to
Phillips', the club's priority should be creating a pathway for the younger
Leeds academy graduate to flourish, rather than extending an olive branch to a
player ten years his senior.
Phillips to Leeds is an easy link to make, and it will be a
common talking point throughout the summer transfer window. It would not be a
surprise if the Whites' hierarchy did make exploratory contact with Man City to
discover what it would take to re-sign the 28-year-old. The problem is, what
Leeds are likely to be told on such a fact-finding mission will render a return
unviable.
Phillips' fondness for the club is well-documented, as is
Leeds fans' reciprocal feeling, but if promotion is secured and this team seeks
to evolve, there are several issues that ultimately make a homecoming a
non-starter.