Transfer Analysis: What would Kalvin Phillips bring to Manchester City after the £42 million deal?

In our latest Sportz Point Transfer Analysis, we take a look at Kalvin Philips joining Manchester City from Leeds United.

Manchester City and Leeds United have reached a signing agreement for Kalvin Phillips.The midfielder will cost Manchester City an initial £42 million, with an additional £3 million in add-ons.

Before having a medical, Phillips will complete his contract with Manchester City. Then, the 26-year-old should finish moving to the Etihad Stadium in time to travel to the United States with Pep Guardiola's team.

After acquiring striker Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, the England international will be the club's second significant summer acquisition.

He will face off against Rodri for a spot in the midfield, taking Fernandinho's place in the lineup who left after the previous campaign. After Leeds was promoted to the Premier League from the Championship in 2020, Phillips has spent the last two seasons with the club. There was also talk of him joining Manchester United.

The same year, he made his international debut for England, where he played a key role as they reached the final of Euro 2020, where Gareth Southgate's side lost on penalties to Italy. The former Leeds United player has played 234 times for his boyhood club, scoring 14 goals.

How can Kalvin Phillips contribute to Manchester City?

Kalvin Philips has been a lifelong fan of his boyhood club, Leeds United. However, football in the Champions League will be a big step up for him. Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish followed the same path last season, becoming a top-flight winner within a year of leaving the club.

In Pep Guardiola's 4-3-3 formation, Phillips would contest with Rodri for the starting defensive midfield position. Rodri was one of Manchester City's key players last season.

Rodri, who concluded the season with the most effective passes in the opposing half and the joint-most possessions won in the Premier League, set the pace for Manchester City's play last year, showcasing his domination all over the field.

Rotation with Rodri?

As is the Guardiola way, Phillips will be expected to rotate in his position and regularly replace, and be replaced, by Rodri. The Spaniard had an outstanding season, scoring vital goals, including the precise strike that equalised against Aston Villa, and was a rock in front of the City defence that only conceded 26 league goals all season.

Phillips is already familiar in that role, which is why Guardiola wanted to bring him to Manchester. The Catalan boss was linked with move for Frenkie de Jong and was even touted to be looking at outgoing United midfielder Paul Pogba. However, it is the workrate that Phillips puts in that persuaded Guardiola to ignore the availability of Frenkie de Jong, or the fact that he could have got Paul Pogba on a free transfer.

Phillips has demonstrated that he has the qualities a Guardioa-esque defensive midfielders must possess. Solid in front of the back four with the ability to turn defence in to attack within moments.

City have the pace to hit teams on the break, and before they know what's happened, they're picking the ball out of the net. Phillips fits that mode and attacking philosophy that Guardiola loves.

Eyebrows were raised when Phillips was selected for Gareth Southgate's England side to play Croatia in their opening match of Euro 2020, but he was one of the outstanding players of a drab match, providing the pass for Raheem Sterling to score the only goal of the game.

So, where does Philips fit in all this?

Given that Fernandinho is no longer serving as Rodri's backup, the first - and most straightforward - response to that query is that Manchester City needs depth in that position.

And that the former Manchester City captain continued to play 33 times in the previous campaign, with most of those appearances coming in that defensive midfield position, Phillips would play a significant part in Guardiola's system.

Furthermore, a detailed examination of Rodri's performance reveals that since his 2019 move to the Etihad Stadium, the Spaniard has needed a replacement in the defensive midfield position.

With Phillips moving to the Etihad Stadium this summer, Manchester City will have the top two ball recovery players in the league competing for the same spot in their team.

Last term, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joao Cancelo, and Declan Rice were among those who excelled in this area. Still, Phillips came in second with 12.87 recoveries for every 1000 opposing touches, trailing only Rodri (17.01).

It also means that Phillips is a ready-made option should Guardiola wish to rest Rodri or if the Spanish midfielder is having a rare bad day for Manchester City. Phillips is just as confident, at ease on the ball, and effective in defence.

For more Transfer News, follow Sportz Point.