Kalvin Phillips’ promise to Leeds United fans upon leaving the club might be about to come true much sooner than he expected.
Leeds United are still embroiled in an intense Championship title race with Sheffield United and Burnley and are even at risk of slipping into Play-off hell for a second year running.
A draw with West Brom and shock defeat to Portsmouth have allowed the Blades to climb level on points with Daniel Farke’s side at the top of the Championship table, with Burnley only two points behind.
Yet, it appears the club are already making preparations for the summer transfer window as Kalvin Phillips could be set for a heroic return to Leeds.
TeamTalk reports a ‘verbal agreement’ has been reached between Phillips and the club, while Pep Guardiola has reportedly given the ‘green light’ to the move.
Should Phillips return to Elland Road three years on from his departure then he will be fulfilling his promise of seeing the club again one day. Probably sooner than he hoped.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
What Kalvin Phillips told Leeds fans after leaving
Phillips joined his hometown club when he was just 14 and would stay there for 12 years before completing his £42m switch to City.
It was clearly a difficult decision to leave a club so close to his heart and he penned an emotional open letter to supporters after his exit was confirmed.
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“First of all, I would like to express how much of a privilege it has been to play for this amazing club,” his lengthy message posted to social media began.
Phillips went on to thank Marcelo Bielsa, Andrea Radrizzani, Victor Orta, the soon-to-be-leaving Angus Kinnear, his teammates and supporters.
His note concluded with a promise to see the fans again one day: “You are the best fans in the world.
“Good luck to everyone involved with Leeds United. I love you all and will miss you. Never goodbye. I WILL see you soon. MOT!”
Should Leeds sign Kalvin Phillips again?
While there is plenty of excitement surrounding the potential signing of Phillips, it should be considered whether they actually should.
Bringing back a legendary player will always go down well with a fanbase, especially one with such strong ties to Leeds like Phillips.
However, £20m for a 29-year-old is an awfully high fee, especially for a player who has not approached his best form once since departing the club in 2022.
It would be a huge risk to spend what would surely be a massive chunk of the transfer budget on one such player when smarter investments could be available.
On the flipside, Phillips is an experienced Premier League operator who is obviously very comfortable at Elland Road.
Graeme Bailey has told LeedsUnitedNews that they don’t just want to bring him back because it’s a nice story.
He said: “Leeds know Phillips well. They remain interested but that interest is not purely based on sentimentality, he is still a good Premier League player.”