West Ham offer Kalvin Phillips escape route from Manchester City subs’ bench
West Ham United are set to bolster their injury-hit squad with the loan signing of England midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City.
Phillips has been starved of game time since his £45m transfer to City from Leeds United in summer 2022, playing just 911 minutes for the treble winners.
It has also seen the 28-year-old drop down the pecking order at international level, with England manager Gareth Southgate picking him for just two of the last six games.
But West Ham have offered Phillips an escape from life on the substitutes’ bench by agreeing a loan for the rest of the season, with a view to a permanent transfer in the summer.
He left City’s winter training camp in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to fly back to England, where is expected to finalise personal terms and undergo medical tests with West Ham this week.
His arrival would offer much-needed cover in a squad shorn of key players by injuries and international absences.
Hammers boss David Moyes is without playmaker Lucas Paqueta until March at least after the Brazilian suffered a calf problem earlier this month.
Moyes’s midfield shortage has been compounded by the unavailability of Edson Alvarez, for whom Phillips would be the most natural replacement.
West Ham are also without new star man Mohammed Kudus and defender Nayef Aguerd while they represent Ghana and Morocco respectively at the Africa Cup of Nations.
On top of that, winger Said Benrahma and full-back Vladimir Coufal are also currently suspended.
Phillips has also been linked with Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace after failing to start a single Premier League game this season.
The writing appeared to be on the wall for the Yorkshireman when City manager Pep Guardiola said last month that he “struggled to see him” in his team.