Former England international Kieron Dyer is convinced that Flynn Downes ‘will go for £10 million to a Premier League club’ amid interest from Leeds United, speaking to the Ipswich Star.
For Leeds, replacing Kalvin Phillips would be like trying to find the new John Frusciante. With all due respect to the undeniably talented Josh Klinghoffer, there’s only one face-melting Frusciante.
And anyone tasked with stepping into his boots will inevitably feel like a bit of a downgrade.
Jesse Marsch will be hoping it doesn’t come to this of course. Phillips is a target for Aston Villa, West Ham amongst others.
But Phillips, remember, is a boyhood Leeds fan living his dream at Elland Road. It will take something special for the so-called ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ to turn his back on the club who have made him what he is today; A proven Premier League star, England’s 2021 Player of the Year to boot.
But how does that old phrase go? Fail to prepare, prepare to fail?
According to The Times, Leeds are preparing for a worst-case scenario, identifying Swansea City’s Flynn Downes as a potential successor for Phillips. The one-time Crystal Palace target only moved to South Wales a year ago and has impressed in an often middling Swans side.
But Dyer, who quit his role as Ipswich’s U23 coach last week, cannot help but wonder where the Tractor Boys would be right now if they had decided against selling Downes to Swansea in August 2021.
Is Flynn Downes Leeds’ next Kalvin Phillips?
“Flynn was in the bomb squad (last year). Which, by the way, I totally agreed with because I was in the meeting when he said to (manager) Paul Cook that he would like to move on,” explains Dyer.
“But he’s always been emotional. He’s that type of character. So me and BK (Bryan Klug, Ipswich’s Head of Coaching and Player Development) were good for him. We listened to him, we understood him.
“We got to the point where we arranged a truce meeting with him and Paul Cook so that it could be agreed that he could stay. But it was two alpha males going at it, the meeting didn’t go to plan and Flynn left.
“Either myself or Bryan should have been in that room. If I could have persuaded Flynn to stay we would have had a midfield of Sam Morsy and Flynn Downes and would be top of the league! I’m telling you now, Flynn Downes will go for £10m this summer to a Premier League club.
“That pains me because I could have made a difference and I let that slip after we out all that work in.”
The Times do not make clear how much Leeds would have to pay to bring Downes to Elland Road.
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