After being touted for a move to Aston Villa all summer, Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips extended his stay at Elland Road this month.
During the international break, Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips signed a new long-term contract with the club after being linked with a move to Aston Villa over the summer [Birmingham Mail].
Leeds fans will no doubt rest easy that one of their key men will still be at the club at the end of the season, but what happens if the Yorkshire outfit don’t earn promotion? Will Aston Villa go back in for the player next summer (that’s if they maintain their own top-flight status)?
Kevin Sharp, who is the agent of Phillips, recently stated that his client ‘can handle the next step’ and showcase his talent in England’s top-flight. Of course, he made it clear that his ‘main ambition’ is to do it with his boyhood club.
“His main ambition is to get to the Premier League with Leeds,” Sharp told LUFC. “I believe they are going to do it. The players have to believe that. And Kalvin says that the players seem to have that belief again this year.
“It’s a big statement. Holding onto someone like Kalvin, who for me can handle the next step, so it shows real ambition from Andrea, Victor, Angus and the club itself. I am sure the fans will be delighted.”
But surely the comments made by Sharp should give Villa hope that they can land Phillips’ signature next summer because if his agent is confident that his client is already ready for the ‘next step’ then what will he be thinking if the club doesn’t do what is expected of them?
Whilst Phillips has signed a new long-term deal, it has been proven that in the modern game, with all that money floating around, that a contract, whether it be short-term or long-term, doesn’t really mean much.
On top of that, at the age of, 23, Phillips, who is arguably one of the best players in the Championship and one of the best players in his position, will want to showcase his qualities on the big stage.
It could be argued that Phillips is in a not too dissimilar situation that Villa playmaker Jack Grealish found himself in last season. He was being touted for a move to Tottenham before he signed a long-term deal months later [Independent].
Villa fans would no doubt admit that had they not earned promotion via the Championship play-off finals then they would have lost Grealish to a Premier League club.
The fact that Phillips is a boyhood fan helps because if Leeds are in a situation where they don’t earn promotion then there’s no way he will be looking to push for anything.
But if that knock comes from a Villa or another Premier League club then his agent will still have those same thoughts, and if he takes his game to another level this season, then he may just feel that it might be time to move on.
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