- Planet Sport writer
- 15 August 2024
Ipswich to welcome Man City's Kalvin Phillips on loan deal
Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is set to complete a loan move to Premier League newcomers Ipswich.
Kalvin Phillips plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national team, who is currently on loan at Ipswich Town.
Born and raised in Leeds, Phillips joined United's academy in 2010, aged 14, before eventually signing his first professional contract with the club in the summer of 2014.
After impressing at Leeds, and helping the club return to the Premier League, he was made his debut for England in September 2020.
In July 2022, Phillips joined Manchester City for a fee of £45million on a six-year contract.
But after struggling for game time at City, he joined West Ham in January 2024, in a bid to cement his place in the England squad for Euro 2024.
But his form was so poor at West Ham that he was overlooked by Gareth Southgate for the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium in March and missed Euro 2024.
Academy days
Phillips started out at his local club Wortley from 2003 until 2010 before joining Leeds United's academy.
He was made captain of the development and under-18s team during the 2014/15 season, with coach Jason Blunt saying he expected Phillips to become a fan favourite in the future.
Living the boyhood dream at Leeds
As a local Leeds lad, Phillips grew up dreaming of playing for Leeds United and on 6 April, 2015, he made his professional debut for the club against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He scored his first senior goal for Leeds one week later against Cardiff City.
The 2016/17 Championship season was the breakthrough one for Phillips after he was offered a new three-year deal by newly appointed coach Garry Monk.
He became a vital part of Leeds United's team and his fine form in the month of October earned him the Young Player of the Month award.
Despite Leeds United failing to get promoted to the Premier League, Phillips had a stellar 2018/19 campaign playing as a deep-lying midfielder and occasional central defender under Marcelo Bielsa. This was a change in style brought about by the Argentinian, with Phillips originally being a more box-to-box player.
His terrific form throughout the campaign earned him a place in the Championship Team of the Season for the first time in his career.
Promotion to the Premier League
Phillips signed a new five-year deal with the club at the beginning of the 2019/20 season, with Leeds United securing promotion to the Premier League at the end of that campaign.
He also enjoyed another excellent individual season which saw him named in the Professional Footballers' Association's 2019/20 Championship Team of the Season.
Despite impressing in the Championship for many years, there were still doubts as to whether Phillips would be able to make the step up to the top-flight of English football.
Those questions were answered as Leeds United enjoyed a fantastic campaign, finishing ninth in the table, with Phillips playing a huge role.
The defensive midfielder appeared in 30 games in all competitions and made his 200th appearance for the club in a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace on February 8, 2021.
In the last game of the season, Phillips scored his first ever Premier League goal in a 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion.
Phillips' second season in the Premier League was hampered by a hamstring injury, which didn't help the club's ongoing struggle against relegation.
He returned from a four month lay-off in April, and was part of the side that did just enough to avoid the drop on the last day of the season.
The in-demand midfielder made the £45million switch to Manchester City in the summer ahead of the 2022/23 season. He had played 232 games for his boyhood club, scoring 13 goals and claiming 13 assists.
Struggles at Manchester City
Phillips was part of City’s treble-winning squad in the 2022/23 season but, on a personal front, it was a frustrating campaign.
Injury initially restricted his opportunities but Guardiola could not find a clear role for him in his side and he rarely featured.
The 28-year-old made just two Premier League starts for Pep Guardiola’s side during the season.
Things didn't get much better in the 2023/24 season, he made just ten appearances for City across all competitions, starting just two, before he was loaned to West Ham in the January transfer window.
Terrible loan spell at West Ham
Phillips joined West Ham in January 2024 in a bid to cement his place in the England squad for the summer's European Championships.
But the midfielder’s form was so poor that he was overlooked by Gareth Southgate for the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium in March and missed out on Euro 2024.
Phillips gifted Bournemouth a goal on his debut with virtually his first touch in a Hammers shirt, made another error leading to a Manchester United goal on his second appearance, and was sent off at Nottingham Forest two weeks later.
In March, Phillips came off the bench with West Ham leading 3-1 at Newcastle and gave away the penalty which sparked a late comeback from the hosts.
After that 4-3 defeat, which dealt a major blow to West Ham’s European hopes, he was pictured raising his middle finger towards an abusive supporter.
The former Leeds man then suffered a calf injury in training after kicking the sole of a team-mate’s boot.
Phillips made just three starts in all competitions for West Ham, eight games in total, and returned to Manchester City in the final week of the season to continue his rehabilitation.
Joining Ipswich
On August 16, 2024, Premier League new boys Ipswich Town confirmed the loan signing of Phillips, with the England international joining until the end of the season with no option to buy.
“He brings experience and he brings quality,” said Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna after Phillips joined the club.
“He brings recent experience of playing at the top echelon of club football, probably the best club side in the world, being part of trophy-winning squads.
“He has major international experience.
“Kalvin has worked so hard to get where he’s got in his career. It’s a fantastic achievement to do what he’s done, to come through at Leeds and progress from playing in the Championship, got better and better.
“He was part of a promoted team that really went and attacked the next division.”
International career with England
Phillips has a Jamaican father and Irish mother, but was born in England. He was contacted by the Jamaican national team, but opted to play for England.
On 25 August, 2020, at the age of 24, Phillips was called up to the Three Lions squad for the first time.
He made his debut for his country on September 8, 2020, against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League.
He was also called up to Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2020 and played in every game of their run to the final.
But after struggling for game time at Manchester City, he joined West Ham in January 2024, in a bid to cement his place in the England squad for Euro 2024.
But his form was so poor at West Ham that he was overlooked by Gareth Southgate for the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium in March and missed Euro 2024.
Personal life
Phillips was born and raised in Leeds, West Yorkshire. During his secondary school years, he attended The Farnley Academy.
He is currently in a relationship with Ashleigh Behan.
Net worth
Phillips' net worth is believed to be around £8million.
