Simon Jordan is wondering where Kalvin Phillips fits in at West Ham United as David Moyes’ side close in on a deal to sign the English international on loan from Premier League champions Manchester City.
Would it be fair to suggest that Kalvin Phillips actually needs West Ham more than West Ham need Kalvin Phillips?
Manchester City’s £47 million forgotten man is crying out for a club capable of offering him first-team football ahead of this summer’s European Championships, even if he remains likely to command a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad regardless of what happens between now and February 1st.
But while there are certainly weaknesses in West Ham’s roster – they remain a top-level striker short and lack adequate cover for Lucas Paqueta or Mohamed Kudus too – the central midfield spot is a position of real strength at the London Stadium.
So much so that Simon Jordan, the former Crystal Palace chairman, has been left with more questions than answers with The Guardian reporting that Phillips is open to joining the Hammers on loan, potentially before the week is out.
West Ham want Kalvin Phillips on loan
“Is it something they need, West Ham?,” Jordan tells talkSPORT (23 January, 12pm). “What does he give them?”
Well, what Phillips gives West Ham, on paper at least, is another top-class operator in the centre of the park. A man who’s passing range and vision could make him the perfect foil for the ball-winning Edson Alvarez, while freeing up James Ward-Prowse to push up a little higher and make good use of his creativity and goalscoring prowess in the final third.
The Guardian reports that West Ham may have to part with a loan fee of around £7 million. Should the deal get done – and there is some optimism that it will – Moyes will finally get his mitts on a player the Europa Conference League champions offered £50 million for when Phillips was still a Leeds player two years ago this month.
‘A really good move’
“I think it would be a very good move for both,” former Birmingham, Derby and Millwall boss Gary Rowett, who came up against Phillips in the Championship, tells Sky Sports.
“There is perhaps still a bit of a gap from Declan Rice moving in the summer. If you look back a couple of years ago when both (Phillips and Rice) were playing for England so well together and probably relatively equal at that point.
“But if you can get Kalvin Phillips on loan… Someone who is desperate for game time, he will be chomping on the bit and keen to show everyone what he is all about. I think it’s a really, really nice fit with West Ham. It’s slightly different to what they gave got.
“They only really have (Tomas) Soucek in that position that’s a little bit more of a disrupter in midfield. I think it would be a really good move. He’s an all-action midfielder. A little bit of grit. He can play as well. Technically very, very good and he has that leadership qualities, which a club like West Ham are going to need to try and push into the top half of the Premier League.”
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