Manchester City’s transfer business is done for another summer, and some fans can’t believe one star remains at the Etihad Stadium.
Heading into the deadline day, the main focus for Man City was outgoings as Pep Guardiola made it clear towards the end of last season that he did not want to work with a big group of players throughout the 2025/26 campaign.
Manuel Akanji has joined Inter Milan as part of a loan deal with a €15m option to buy, while Ilkay Gundogan is close to a move to Galatasaray. Ederson has also joined Fenerbahce, but is being replaced by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The Premier League giants successfully moved others ahead of the final day of the summer transfer window, but one unwanted star remains, and Man City fans can’t believe it.
Man City fans cannot believe Kalvin Phillips is still at the club
Phillips’ summer was compromised by the fact that the midfielder recently had surgery to fix an Achilles injury, and that, for obvious reasons, turned clubs off making a move for the English star.
Man City were willing to allow Phillips to leave on loan just to get him off their books, and fans of the Manchester club were sure he was gone when his number four shirt was given to Tijjani Reijnders.
However, the 29-year-old remains at the Etihad Stadium and some fans are not happy about it, with one Man City supporter writing on X (formerly known as Twitter): “Kalvin Phillips has been very quiet during this transfer window. We haven’t forgotten that you’re still at City. He’s scamming the system, keeping a low profile to rake in the UAE money.”
A second supporter of the Manchester club added: “Kalvin Phillips is still a Manchester City player, but seriously, when was the last time somebody checked in on him?”
A final Man City fan said: “Come to think of it, Kalvin Phillips would’ve been good at right-back.”
It is now very likely that Phillips will leave in January, but who comes in for the midfielder remains to be seen, as this summer did not give much of a hint of a potential destination.
What clubs could Kalvin Phillips join in January
The most likely destination for Phillips would be a return to Leeds, who were linked to the midfielder this summer upon their return to the Premier League. If the Yorkshire club need new faces in January to stay up, a loan move for the Man City star could be an option.
Everton were another club that showed interest in Phillips, but that boat has sailed, as David Moyes is happy with his midfield, and it looks like the Toffees might have a good season.
The next few months will be hard for the £45m midfielder to come back from, and many people would like to see the 29-year-old get a nice move in 2026 after some tough seasons since leaving Leeds.
