Leeds United have been linked with a sensational move to bring Kalvin Phillips back to the club this summer for a reported £20million fee, but there are obvious warnings to heed here.
Leeds have to get back into the Premier League before considering any potential ambitious transfer activity that is already being reported as in the pipeline.
That being said, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the club are getting things in place behind the scenes ahead of time, in order to tackle the summer with the right planning, regardless of division.
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Leeds linked with “fairytale” Kalvin Phillips reunion transfer
(Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
The Sun reported earlier this week that Leeds are eyeing up a “fairytale” transfer agreement this summer to bring Kalvin Phillips back to his boyhood club.
Currently on loan at Premier League side Ipswich Town from Manchester City, it’s claimed that Leeds have been scouting Phillips this season and could consider signing him in the summer window.
That was backed up by reports from TEAMtalk, stating that a deal is “verbally agreed” between the midfielder and Leeds for a deal to be lined up at the end of the season.
Man City are not likely to stand in Phillips’ way over a deal, instead said to be looking at a £20million fee to part ways.
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Russell Martin has already said why £20m Phillips agreement would be a risk
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Phillips is currently playing for one of the three sides sitting in the relegation zone at the moment, and an obvious failure of all three – as was the case for last season’s relegated trio – has been their failure to recruit properly for the Premier League.
Russell Martin, sacked in December by Southampton, believes a major shortcoming he failed to address in the summer was the athleticism needed to compete in the top flight:
“I think recruitment definitely in the Premier League is so important,” he said on Sky Sports’ MNF. “And also the athleticism is so, so important, and even if we want to play the way we wanted to play to try dominate the ball, I would prioritise definitely a touch more athleticism if we did it all over again.”
And with that, it stands to reason that signing Phillips for £20million would represent a massive risk for Leeds or any promoted side, given that he’s been well-documented since leaving Elland Road as struggling to cope with the physical demands of his coaches.
Of course, the 2021 England Player of the Year would improve the standard of Leeds’ squad, but would he be capable of bridging the gap between Leeds as a Premier League newcomer, and the rest of the division?
The answer probably lies in the fact that Ipswich don’t look markedly better for having signed him, picking up just four points across his 13 starts this season.