Gabby Agbonlahor predicts Kalvin Phillips to leave Leeds United next year
England midfielder Kalvin Phillips is likely to leave Leeds United next summer, according to Gabby Agbonlahor.
The ex-Aston Villa forward, speaking on talkSPORT [03/09/21], suggests the 25-year-old’s time at Elland Road is coming to a close.
“I watched [Declan] Rice and Phillips last night [v Hungary], they were outstanding,” Agbonlahor said.
“But, what was going through my head was, how long can these players stay at their clubs? How long can Leeds keep hold of Kalvin Phillips? How long can West Ham keep hold of Declan Rice?
“They’re all going to be talking while they’re away, ‘oh we’ve got Villarreal, we’ve got PSG’ and you have banter about it, ‘oh who have you got’, ‘oh we’ve got no one’.
“You know what football banter’s like Trevor [Sinclair] and Jamie [O’Hara].
“I just can’t see them staying more than another season at their clubs. I feel like they’re going to want to play at the top. They’re getting it with their countries, they’re going to want to get it with their clubs.”
Grealish bias
Agbonlahor may be making this prediction with the recent loss of Jack Grealish to Manchester City in his mind.
Grealish left his boyhood club for the reigning Premier League champions in a £100million move last month, putting an end to his one-club career with Villa.
Agbonlahor was a one-club man with the Villains and was surely hurt by the exit of his close friend.
However, just because Grealish did so, it doesn’t mean Phillips will.
For a start, they are at different stages of their development in terms of profiles.
Grealish has played in the Premier League for a number of seasons now while Phillips is only just embarking on his second.
Furthermore, someone of Grealish’s talents is always going to be in more demand by the elite-level clubs given his ability to create chances, and deep-lying midfielders are slightly less sought after.
Perhaps there will come a time when Phillips eyes an exit – he surely has ambitions of playing Champions League football – but it doesn’t appear likely he will force anything imminently or next summer.
He’s at the right club for now.
In other Leeds United news, Gary Neville is blown away by this major Whites development this week.