Kalvin Phillips has been in headlines recently, after it was claimed he was set to return to Leeds United in the summer.
Leeds United fans have been dreaming about club legend Kalvin Phillips returning to Elland Road, ever since his £42million move to Manchester City start to turn sour.
The 29-year-old moved to the Etihad in 2022 but has since made just 16 Premier League appearances for the club, failing to impress on loan at West Ham last season and having since had mixed fortunes on loan at Ipswich Town this season.
Earlier in March, it was claimed that Leeds United had a verbal agreement to re-sign Phillips in the summer, with the Whites having been tipped to make a return for the midfielder upon their possible promotion to the Premier League.
Soon after, though, it was confirmed that Phillips was not heading to Leeds United and that Daniel Farke isn’t really looking into a deal for the Manchester City man, who looks set to leave the Etihad on a permanent deal this summer.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Kalvin Phillips said Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa are both ‘so demanding’
Phillips burst to life at Leeds under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa. The Argentine made Phillips into the player that Manchester City spent so much money to sign and Phillips has often spoken about his admiration for Bielsa and the way he helped him develop as a player.
But Phillips has also played for, arguably, the game’s greatest ever manager in Pep Guardiola. Speaking at the end of 2024, Phillips gave an interview on BBC Sounds alongside former Leeds teammate Patrick Bamford where he was asked to compare playing under Guardiola and playing under Bielsa.
He said: “I’d probably say there’s more differences to be honest. But I’d say the similarities are how demanding he is, both of them. They’re both so demanding. Obviously both see football in different ways, so the way Bielsa plays is a lot different to the way Pep plays. But just the way they’re so… they love football, and everything they do is about football. And they just want you as a player and as a team to get better and better.”
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What Pep Guardiola thought of former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa
It might be fair to assume that Phillips much preferred playing under Bielsa as he played his best football under the former Leeds boss. Though Pep is certainly someone to be admired for his amazing successes in the game.
And speaking back in 2020, Guardiola gave his verdict on Bielsa and he also spoke highly of the now Uruguay manager. Pep explained: “He is probably the person I admire the most in world football – as a manager and as a person.
“He is the most authentic manager in terms of how he conducts his teams. He is unique. Nobody can imitate him, it’s impossible. I don’t see him quite as much but when I get the pleasure to spend time with him, it’s always inspirational.”
Whether or not we see Bielsa back in England or even back in club football remains to be seen. But his achievements and memories at Elland Road will live on for a long time to come.