MusaKalvin Phillips could be set for a return to Leeds United, and it’s hardly surprising that his Manchester City career appears to be nearing its conclusion.
While Leeds United still have significant work ahead to secure the Championship title and earn promotion to the Premier League, it seems they are already planning for the summer transfer window. Reports suggest that Leeds are working on a deal to bring Kalvin Phillips back to Elland Road, marking a remarkable homecoming for the midfielder.
It’s claimed that Pep Guardiola has given the “green light” to the move, with TeamTalk reporting that Leeds have reached a “verbal agreement” with Phillips.
If the 29-year-old departs City, it would bring an end to a disastrous three-year spell at the club—though, in reality, his time there was effectively over long ago, following one brutal comment from Guardiola.
The Pep Guardiola comment that ended Kalvin Phillips’ Man City career:
Phillips joined City in the same summer as Leeds-born Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez in 2022, brought in as cover for midfield stalwart Rodri. Guardiola sought to reduce the workload on his key Spaniard, which led to the £42m signing of Phillips.
However, things got off to a rocky start when a shoulder injury sidelined Phillips for the first half of the season. Guardiola expressed frustration at being forced to play Rodri in every match, and matters worsened for Phillips before the year ended.
Despite playing just 54 minutes for City, Phillips recovered in time to earn a spot in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad, making two appearances in Qatar. However, upon returning from the tournament, Guardiola publicly criticized his fitness after omitting him from City’s first game back.
“He’s not injured. He arrived overweight. I don’t know [why],” Guardiola said in a press conference.
“He didn’t arrive in the condition to do training sessions and to play.”
“That’s why he cannot play. When he will be ready, he will play, because we need him, we need him a lot.”
How Guardiola’s comments impacted Phillips:
Unsurprisingly, such harsh remarks from his manager subjected Phillips to ridicule on social media. The backlash was so intense that Guardiola even apologized a couple of months later, stating in another press conference: “Yeah, I’m sorry. Once in eight years is not bad. But I’m so sorry. I apologise to him.
“I spoke to him before [making the comment]. I never, ever don’t speak to the team before I say something here, or the player in that case.”
By then, however, the damage had already been done.
Phillips only made his first Premier League start for City once the title had been secured, accumulating just 595 minutes of playing time in total. Despite clearly falling out of favor with Guardiola, Phillips chose to stay and fight for his place that summer—a brave decision that ultimately backfired. He made only 10 appearances the following season before joining West Ham on loan.
In February 2024, Phillips opened up about Guardiola’s comments and their impact on him.
“After the World Cup was probably the toughest [period], when Pep came out and said I was overweight… He was right to do so, but there are different ways to go about it,” Phillips said, via ESPN.
“I did not disagree with him but obviously I took a big knock on my confidence and how I felt at City. And my family were not happy about it, either. Especially my mum.
“It was just a misunderstanding and I think he was very frustrated with me coming back 1.5kg over my weight target.”
Should his time at City officially end this summer, it will come as no surprise, as his departure has seemed inevitable for quite some time.
Thankfully, Phillips has been gradually rebuilding his career at Ipswich this season, demonstrating that he could still be a valuable asset for Leeds in the Premier League.
Musa
Kwaghterna Garshagu