26 January 2024 , 16:01
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Kalvin Phillips has promised to bring his "quality" to West Ham - and that should get him into England’s squad for the Euros.
Phillips, 28, has completed his loan move from Manchester City until the summer but there is no option to buy. The England international has been reluctant to give up on his City career despite only playing 911 minutes since moving to the Etihad in a £45m deal two years ago.
But Phillips now hopes to get enough minutes to nail down his place in England’s squad for the European Championships this summer and also get back to his best form while helping West Ham make a push for a European place.
Phillips, who will wear the No11 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.
“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.”
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Moyes has beaten off competition from Juventus, Crystal Palace and Newcastle who were scared off by City’s demands for a £7m loan fee. Phillips, who has 31 caps, won five trophies during his time at City and was also an ever-present for England in their run to the Euros final in 2021 but his place was in danger because of a lack of games.
West Ham are expected to cover Phillips’ wages and could yet push for a permanent deal but there is nothing written into the loan agreement which had been expected to be part of this move.
Kalvin Phillips is on the verge of a move to West Ham (Getty Images)Moyes now has strength in depth in midfield with James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Tomas Soucek already in the squad. Moyes added: “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.”