Kalvin Phillips’ meteoric rise under the management of Marcelo Bielsa has seen him transform into one of the Premier League’s best holding midfielders.
The 26-year-old had already hit somewhat of a crossroad in his Leeds United career until Bielsa’s arrival; he was still yet to discover his best position and it was unclear whether he had the quality to play week in, week out in the Championship.
But those doubts have been well and truly quashed in the three-and-a-half-years that have followed. He is now arguably Leeds’ most important player and is also one of the first names on Gareth Southgate’s England team sheet.
With consistently high-level performances, as well as international exposure, though, comes the inevitable transfer interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
The likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and even Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid have been linked with Phillips in recent months and a summer bid from at least one of those sides feels like a certainty.
Rather surprisingly, however, it was none of the aforementioned clubs that stumped up with an offer in last month’s January transfer window, but instead West Ham United.
The Hammers reportedly made a bid of around £50 million for Phillips, which was swiftly turned down by the hierarchy at Elland Road.
But even if it was accepted, it remains unclear as to whether a club such as West Ham would be able to tempt Phillips into leaving his boyhood club.
One man who doesn’t think so is Alan Hutton, who when speaking to Football Insider, claimed that Phillips would only ever depart Leeds for one of the really top sides.
He said: “Season on season, we can see the development and the player that he’s growing into.
“I mean, he’s one of the best defensive midfielders in the league at this moment in time, especially for his age.
“I think, and this is no disrespect to West Ham, he will have bigger ambitions to go to a proper top-four club. A club that’s challenging for trophies and league titles.
“He might not be there at this moment in time, but, in the summer, definitely in the next seasons, he’ll be there.
“I think his ambition would be greater than a £50million bid from West Ham in the January transfer window.”
