Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips has been heavily linked with a move away from the club this summer. Manchester City reportedly have him top of their list of potential Fernandinho replacements, while other Premier League clubs such as West Ham and Aston Villa have also been linked.
Leeds will be desperate not to lose their key man this summer as they look to build a squad capable of avoiding the same relegation troubles that were encountered last season. That is especially when you take into consideration Raphinha seems destined to leave the club – Leeds will not want to lose both in the same window.
Should worst come to worst, it will take some job in order to be able to replace Phillips, given what he offers to the side. We have taken a look at four potential replacements based on a player shortlist generator on macro-football.com.
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Niklas Dorsch – Augsburg
Niklas Dorsch is a 24-year-old defensive midfielder who is currently plying his trade at Augsburg. Dorsch joined the Bundesliga side from KAA Gent last summer and has gone onto establish himself as a regular in a side that finished 14 th in the table.
He progressed through the ranks of Bayern Munich as a youngster but went onto make just one appearance for the first team. Dorsch is among the best in the division for tackles this season and his ability to win the ball back is what matches him with Phillips.
Nicolas Dominguez – Bologna
Nicolas Dominguez is a 23-year-old central midfielder who is currently at Serie A side Bologna. He made 28 appearances as Bologna comfortably staved off the threat of relegation with a 13 th place finish.
He has been capped 11 times by Argentina already and has excellent statistics in various defensive metrics such as pressures, tackles, interceptions and blocks, according to Fbref. Dominguez is also above average in possession, and better then Dorsch, which would suit Leeds better given Phillips’ long and short passing ability.
Santi Comesa ña – Rayo Vallecano
Santi Comesaña is a 25-year-old central midfielder who plays his football at Rayo Vallecano in Spain. Comesaña was a regular for the La Liga outfit last season as he played 35 matches to help secure a comfortable mid-table finish.
Like Dominguez, Comesaña ranks highly for a number of defensive metrics including pressures and tackles but is also very strong at passing progressively. He has also captained Vallecano several times, which would help replace the leadership qualities that Phillips has developed in recent months.
Walace – Udinese
The most experienced player to make this list is Walace, who is a 27-year-old defensive midfielder for Udinese. He made 36 appearances for the Serie A side as they secured a 12 th place finish in the table.
According to fbref, Walace is no where near the others in terms of passing and pressures, though he is very good at reading the game and sticking his foot in when it matters.
