West Ham confirm Phillips signing to hand Southgate major England boost
Manchester City have confirmed Kalvin Phillips has joined West Ham on loan for the rest of the season.
England midfielder Phillips has not started a Premier League match this season and is desperate for game time to secure his place in Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2024.
West Ham will cover Phillips' £130,000-a-week wages and have paid City a loan fee to facilitate the move, although the agreement does not include an option to buy at the end of it.
Phillips has started just one game for City this season, their 1-0 EFL Cup defeat away to Newcastle back in September. In fact, since his £45million move from Leeds in July 2022, Phillips has started only six matches.
David Moyes' side are still in the Europa League and face 17 more Premier League matches before the end of the season. With Edson Alvarez and Lucas Paqueta currently out injured, Phillips could be thrown straight into the XI for their next game, a clash against Bournemouth on February 1.
Speaking after his move was completed, Phillips, who will wear the No.11 shirt, said: "I'm really pleased to be here. There's always been a lot of speculation about me moving to West Ham, so I’m really excited to get going now.
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West Ham have signed Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City (Getty Images)"There’s so much to look forward to in the second half of the season for the Club and I can’t wait to be part of it. There’s an unbelievable group here and if I can come in and add the quality that I know I’m capable of, I’m sure we can give the West Ham fans plenty to be excited about between now and the end of the season."
Moyes said on Phillips' arrival: "We are really pleased to bring a player of Kalvin's quality to West Ham United. We've been big admirers of him for a long time and we believe that he will add strength and competition to our squad.
"Kalvin is an England international midfielder, with proven Premier League experience – we're excited to welcome him into the group and look forward to working with him."
Kalvin Phillips in action for Manchester City (PA)Phillips came through the ranks at Leeds and made his first-team debut in April 2015, starting a Championship match against Wolves. He made 10 league appearances in the following campaign, before having a more prominent role under Garry Monk as the Whites pushed for promotion.
From that point, Phillips established himself as one of Leeds' most important players and he was pivotal in their Championship-winning campaign in 2019/20. Marcelo Bielsa's men romped to the title after losing out in the play-off semi-final in the previous season, with Phillips named in the PFA Team of the Season for his efforts.
In September 2020, Phillips made his first Premier League appearance as Leeds travelled to Liverpool in their first top-flight match for over 16 years. Phillips impressed throughout his maiden Premier League campaign as he cemented a place in the England squad ahead of the European Championships.
He ended up starting in every game leading up to the final at Euro 2020, as England fell short against Italy at Wembley. Although Phillips' 2021/22 season was not as successful as he struggled with injuries and Leeds fought against a relegation battle, the midfielder secured a move to City in July 2022.
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