Although Raphinha has dazzled in West Yorkshire, it could certainly be argued that Kalvin Phillips is the jewel in Leeds United's crown. A homegrown hero with an army of admirers, he has grown from an energetic Championship battler into a savvy Premier League talent with the ability to go toe-to-toe with Europe's elite.
He has been plagued by injuries this season but it does not appear to have put a dent in his reputation and Manchester United are reportedly working on a deal to sign the 26-year-old. Leeds will most likely fight tooth and nail to hold on to their coveted asset but it is also likely that they have a contingency in place in case he does move on.
Replacing the England international would be difficult but using Macro Football's Player Replacement Shortlist Generator, LeedsLive have compiled a list of potential targets. The generator assesses a player's similarity to Phillips as well as the similarity of their current club to Leeds, whilst also taking 'isolated impact' into account. 'Isolated impact' estimates 'an individual player’s impact on their team’s offensive chance generation and the suppression of the opposition team’s chance creation, controlling for teammates, opposition players, managers, and match situation, relative to the league average player'.
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Nicolas Dominguez
Boasting a player similarity rating of 95 [out of 100] and a club similarity of rating of 92, Dominguez stands out as a potential candidate. The 23-year-old is a regular in Bologna's midfield in Serie A and also has caps at senior level for Argentina on his CV.
He has built his reputation in Italy as defensive midfielder and has impressed as a screen for the backline, demonstrating a similar level of willingness to fly into challenges as Phillips does. On the international scene, he plays in a more advanced role, therefore has the ability to contribute to the attacking cause too.
Niklas Dorsch
A product of Bayern Munich's academy, he spent time in the German second tier and the Belgian top flight for opportunities and is now shining back in the Bundesliga with FC Augsburg. A defensive-minded midfielder with tactical awareness that defies his years, Dorsch certainly appears to fit the bill as a Phillips replacement.
The 24-year-old is far from a towering figure at 5ft 9in but uses his low centre of gravity to shield and retain the ball in tight areas before recycling possession or moving the team forward. A player similarity score of 97 and isolated impact score of 75 suggests he could be an excellent option to fill the gap left by Phillips if he departs.
Santi Comesana
Although known as more of an attacking midfielder by some, Comesana has operated as both a deep-lying and advanced midfielder for Rayo Vallecano this season. The 25-year-old has been with his current employers since 2016 after cutting his teeth with Curoxo and has been a mainstay under current boss Andoni Iraola.
He has spent the bulk of the season lining up in a midfield pivot alongside Oscar Valentin and the pair have been two of the most tenacious players in La Liga. Comesana sits top of the Spanish top flight for number of pressures as per FBref and appears a perfect fit for Jesse Marsch's high-octane system, especially considering his player similarity rating is 94 and he has been scored at 89 for isolated impact.
Walace
A reliable mainstay of the Udinese midfield, Walace's defensive qualities could help shore Leeds up in midfield in the event of a Phillips move. At 26, he has plenty of years left in him but has already built experience in Germany and Italy, as well as his native Brazil. His player similarity rating of 92 demonstrates the possibility of him being at the very least, close to a like-for-like replacement.
Xeka
A talented ball-winner, Xeka was part of the Lille squad that lifted the Ligue 1 title last season and has been a mainstay throughout the current campaign under their head coach Jocelyn Gourvennec. He would perhaps not be the most glamorous Phillips replacement but he ticks all the boxes on the replacement generator, scoring 92 for player similarity, 90 for club similarity and 81 for isolated impact.
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