Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford is tipping Kalvin Phillips to bounce back next season and dish out a firm reminder of his talents. It would be something of an understatement to say Phillips’ time at West Ham United has not gone to plan.
The Leeds-born midfielder joined the Hammers on loan in January in the hope of picking up much-needed minutes after struggling to catch the eye of Man City boss Pep Guardiola. Unfortunately for Phillips, though, while he has been given opportunities, he has struggled for traction in east London and the mistakes he has made have led to him receiving huge amounts of criticism
The England international was sent off against Nottingham Forest in February after making costly mistakes in his first two games for the team. That came before rough performances against Newcastle United and Burnley, where the Hammers blew a two-goal lead after he came in.
Since the St James’ Park match, Phillips has only played 15 minutes of football, and his standing in David Moyes’ starting lineup has clearly declined. Because of this, it is evident that Phillips’ loan from West Ham won’t be extended, and because it seems unlikely that he would stay at Man City, it is likely that he will be moving again before the start of the next year.
If Leeds wins promotion, he has been linked to a return to Elland Road; Fulham is reportedly also considering a move. Bamford thinks Phillips will silence his skeptics, though, no matter where he travels.
“I believe that Kalv went to City and trained with elite players, which will improve your game,” Bamford said to Joe Wilkinson on an episode of his BBC podcast called “My Mate’s A Footballer.” “But training on a daily basis makes a significant effect. From playing for a short while to playing every match.
“Unfortunately for Kalv, he’s gone to West Ham where he hasn’t got match sharpness. He’s playing catch up because it is mid-season. Social media is horrible. It’s unfair. He doesn’t go from being a top player, winning England’s Player of the Year, to all of a sudden not being good enough to play for any team in the Prem. Next season, wherever Kalv goes, he’ll get a good pre-season. We’ll see the best of him again.”
Phillips left Leeds in the summer of 2022 for a reported fee of around £45m after spending two seasons with his boyhood club in the Premier League. However, his first few months at City were blighted with injuries and while he did end his first season with Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League winners’ medals, he probably didn’t play as much as he would have liked.
Consequently, he chose what many believed to be the proper option to leave the Etihad Stadium in search of playing time after a challenging second season with the team, especially considering that a spot in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad was at stake. Unfortunately, Phillips’ chances of traveling to Germany this summer appear slim, especially considering that he was left out of England’s roster for their friendlies against Brazil and Belgium in March.
