Leeds United have been linked with a move to re-sign former fan favourite, Kalvin Phillips. The 29-year-old has barely featured for Manchester City since his £45 million move.
Phillips is currently on loan at West Ham, failing to make an impact having only made seven Premier League appearances for the Hammers since joining in January.
Central midfield is a position that Leeds will have to look at if they secure promotion back to the Premier League with only three first team players in that position currently on the books.
Due to the cost, it’s likely that any move for Phillips will depend on promotion, but should Leeds United be making the move at all? Here is how Phillips compares to their current options.
Glen Kamara
Glen Kamara. Credit: Imago Images
The Finnish international made the switch from Rangers for £5.5 million last summer, and has since become one of Leeds’ more reliable performers.
Kamara is equally capable of playing as a central midfielder or sitting just in from of the defence. He may not have scored yet, but he has one of the highest successful passing percentages in the squad with 92.8% of his passes reaching their intended target. He’s also contributed three assists in 34 Championship appearances so far.
His consistency is his biggest selling point. You’ll rarely get anything less than a 7/10 performance from Kamara.
Ilia Gruev
Ilia Gruev. Credit: Imago Images
Gruev and Kamara have a remarkably similar profile, the only real difference is their defensive output. The Bulgarian is one of the club’s best in terms of duels and aerial duels won with 58% and 62.1% respectively. It’s hard to get past him.
With just a single assist in 26 league appearances, his attacking contributions could be better, but like Kamara, Daniel Farke and Leeds will rarely have to worry about his consistency.
Archie Gray
Archie Gray. Credit: Imago Images
Despite playing at right-back for most of the season, Gray is naturally a central midfielder. After breaking into the first team at 17 years old, he’s become a vital cog in Farke’s machine.
Like Phillips before him, Gray came through the academy system at Leeds, but that’s where similarities end. The youngster isn’t afraid to get stuck in, winning an impressive 57 tackles and 177 duels. Of course, playing at right-back will have skewed the numbers somewhat.
With 41 league appearances under his belt this season, Leeds United should be looking to build their side around the promising youngster.
Kalvin Phillips
Kalvin Phillips. Credit: Imago Images
Phillips may have won the treble with Manchester City, but from an individual standpoint, things haven’t quite worked out since he left Elland Road.
The ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ has only made 23 league appearances since making the switch, with most of them coming off the bench. He was never a prolific goalscorer, but zero goal contributions since then is damning.
Of course, if we’re talking about Phillips in his prime, that would be a different story. Under Marcelo Bielsa, Phillips was United’s midfield general, controlling the game at his whim.
There is still a player in there, and he would offer something Leeds don’t currently have. It’s just whether it would be worth the risk.
