Opinions are divided on Calvin Phillips.
Born in 1995, the 28-year-old Phillips rose through the ranks at Leeds United's youth ranks to become one of the club's key midfielders, excelling at the first team level. He was selected by Pep Guardiola to join Manchester City ahead of the 2022-23 season.
But the Phillips of Leeds and the Phillips of City are two very different players. He made his debut as a substitute against West Ham United in the first round, but then missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, and in the second half of the season, he gained too much weight to train properly, sparking a professionalism controversy. His final tally for the 2022-23 season was 21 games. Considering that only four of those games were starts, Phillips was a complete flop and not the player he was expected to be when he was signed.
This season, his position hasn't changed much. With Rodríguez playing most of the games and Rodríguez unavailable, he hasn't been the first choice of Guardiola.
He eventually left the team after less than two years. His destination was West Ham United. "We are delighted to confirm the signing of Phillips 사설토토 on loan until the end of the 2023-24 season," the Hammers announced on their website in December.
Phillips has found a home at West Ham. He has been heavily criticized by fans for his poor performances, as well as reports that he is rekindling the "weight issues" that plagued him at Man City. "Phillips is currently four to five pounds over his target weight and manager David Moyes and his coaching staff are unimpressed with his fitness," according to Football Insider.
Phillips has had both on- and off-field issues. Former Newcastle United and Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has come to his defense: "Personally, I think he's a great player. Of course, I don't know if moving to West Ham was the perfect move for him," Pardew said.
However, another 'legend', Graham Souness, had a different opinion. "Is he a PL-level player, why are you saying that?" he asked in response to Pardew's comments.
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