For the first time in years, Kalvin Phillips will be looking forward to the matchday week as he prepares to make his West Ham United debut.
Many clubs were keen on signing the Manchester City midfielder this month, but it was David Moyes’ side who won that race.
West Ham United host free-scoring Bournemouth on Thursday night in the Premier League, before a trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United on Sunday.
You would expect Kalvin Phillips to, not only feature in both of those matches, but also start in them, with Michael Dawson stating that he is a ‘good fit’ for the London club, as he told Sky Sports (27/01/24 at 2:30 pm).
The only thing that will be holding the 28-year-old back is his lack of fitness and sharpness because he is clearly going to be behind.
But it wasn’t so long ago that a certain Jesse Lingard, in a similar situation, joined with very little game time and took to West Ham colours straight away.
The hope is that Kalvin Phillips can do that because the Hammers have some huge games coming up, with five points separating themselves and fifth-placed Tottenham.
Kalvin Phillips at West Ham United
“It’s hard for any play at any club if you aren’t playing any football,” said Dawson. “He left Leeds and went to arguably the best team in the Premier League that has been for many years.
“It was always the question. Where was he going to fit in? Was he going to play? He was always going to be a bit-part player in my opinion.
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“But when you get that opportunity to go to that football club. How do you turn it down? It was always going to be hard for him. It’s no surprise that he hasn’t played. You have got Rodri, the best holding midfielder in the world. Kovacic has come in. Rico Lewis has played ahead of him, so he hasn’t played an awful lot of football. But Gareth Southgate has stuck by him.
“There comes a point when you have the Euros are coming up in the summer. ‘I need to play football and where can I do that?’. West Ham are the team. David Moyes has shown that faith. It’s no surprise, he is a good player. It’s a good signing for West Ham and a great fit for him.
“No problem in him going Man City (in the first place). People will go ‘why did you leave Leeds? Why did you go there?’. I tell you why. You can always go back, but you can’t always go up. It’s a backward step for him, but a good fit.”
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A deal that suits all parties
This is one of those rare deals where every party is happy and has benefited from it.
Manchester City get the ‘all-action’ star off their wage bill and allow him to earn some much-needed minutes rather than just rotting on the bench.
The player himself can finally showcase his talents again and build himself up for Euro 2024 because he is a key player for England in the middle of the park.
And West Ham have added depth in quality as they aim to stay in Europe, via a top-seven finish, but also possibly win the Europa League.
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