Manchester City and Ipswich Town have already done business this summer.
Their first dealing of the summer transfer window occurred when City sold Liam Delap to Kieran McKenna’s side for an initial £15 million plus £5 million in add-ons (Sky Sports); handing the newly-promoted side the chance to sign one of the best young strikers in English football.
At the time, Pep Guardiola’s side had both Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez on their books — which meant they could afford to let go of Delap.
But since then, Alvarez has also departed the Etihad Stadium in favour of a move to Atletico Madrid for £82 million (TNT Sports) — another transfer which would allow the Sky Blues to rake in over £100 million from the sale of their two strikers over time.
But it seems like Manchester City’s summer business is far from done, especially in terms of their outgoings.
Already, the likes of Delap, Alvarez, Yan Couto, Micah Hamilton, Sergio Gomez and Taylor Harwood-Bellis have left the club this summer.
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Journalist shares big Kalvin Phillips to Ipswich Town update
But even so, it seems like City still feel their squad needs to be trimmed ahead of the 2024/2025 season.
The English giants tend to have a small squad in place, contrary to the general consensus about their squad depth.
Instead, Pep Guardiola seems to favour a squad that lacks the depth in numbers of other top sides but instead possesses as much if not more quality, versatility and players who have the hunger to compete in cutthroat environments.
A player who Guardiola seems to never have particularly fancied in and amongst such an environment is Kalvin Phillips, who seems set to head out on loan to Ipswich Town.
Journalist Mike McGrath reported on X: “Ipswich Town on the brink of agreeing a season-long loan for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips. Statement signing for newly promoted club.”
Guardiola once praised Phillips, describing him as an “intelligent player” but it seems like he views Mateo Kovacic as a superior option at the base of midfield over the Englishman; starting the former as his alternative to Rodri against Manchester United in the FA Community Shield.
Ahead of the latest Manchester Derby, the Catalan claimed that the £150,000-a-week man struggles to thrive amongst the hustle and bustle of playing in the middle of the park.
As quoted by Manchester Evening News journalist Simon Bajkowski, Guardiola said: “He is a central midfielder but I said many times, Kalvin likes to see all the game in front of him.”
“When he is in the middle surrounded by players, he struggles a little bit but he helped us a lot in the last couple of games [as an emergency centre-back] on tour. I should have seen that before. His confidence is back.”
Kalvin Phillips must redeem himself at Ipswich Town if loan is confirmed
If Ipswich Town manages to get a loan deal over the line for Phillips, he must redeem himself.
After his torrid spell at West Ham United last season, the 28-year-old might have feared that not many clubs in the Premier League clubs would even take a chance on him on a season-loan loan.
However, Phillips now has the chance to showcase why he remains a quality midfielder for one of English football’s best young managers in Kieran McKenna.
The former Leeds United star also has a chance of playing himself into impressive form and making a return to the England squad after being omitted from their 26-man roster for Euro 2024.
It will be interesting to see whether Phillips capitalises on his second chance on loan if the deal goes through.
