West Ham United midfielder Kalvin Phillips has admitted discussing a move to Newcastle United with England boss Gareth Southgate.
The January transfer window always brings a certain level of mystery, but most were confident that Kalvin Phillips would be moving on.
Former Leeds United star Phillips made a huge £45million move to Manchester City in 2022 but struggled for first-team action under Pep Guardiola.
Phillips simply had to leave City in January in pursuit of first-team action ahead of Euro 2024 with his England prospects suffering.
West Ham ended up pouncing with a loan deal but Phillips has now admitted that a move to Newcastle United could have been a possibility too…
Kalvin Phillips comments on Newcastle United interest
Newcastle United were linked with Phillips for months, especially after losing Sandro Tonali to suspension.
HITC Football understands that Newcastle were interested but negotiations stalled over the loan fee demanded by the Premier League champions.
West Ham were able to swoop in and secure a deal but Phillips has now admitted speaking about Newcastle with England boss Gareth Southgate.
Phillips only mentioned Juventus and Newcastle during that conversation as he sought Southgate’s advice over a potential move.
Southgate wouldn’t explicitly tell Phillips who to join, but he felt that the Premier League would be better for Phillips than a move to Italy.
West Ham then came in and Phillips felt that was the right move for him with Newcastle seemingly fading away as the January window went on.
“So I spoke to Gareth probably about a month before the January transfer window opened. I just said what teams were interested in me at that time, that I knew about. I didn’t know about West Ham, to be honest. I knew that West Ham would probably come in a bit later in the window. I spoke to him about a few teams,” said Phillips.
“I mentioned Juventus and I mentioned Newcastle, which could have been a possibility and he basically told me that he’s not going to tell me what to do but he said he thinks the Premier League is a lot more difficult, a more competitive league. He said to be playing in the Premier League versus playing anywhere else… it’s just that little bit of a step down in quality. So yeah, he influenced me to stay in England. And West Ham came in and I thought it was the right place to go,” he added.
Newcastle may well keep tabs on Phillips during this loan spell, just in case the possibility of signing him arises again in the summer.
The Magpies will welcome back Tonali next season though and it’s unclear whether Phillips would be a priority once the Italian returns.
A permanent stay at West Ham seems much more likely, but Phillips must now attempt to rediscover his best form after 18 difficult months at City.
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