Leeds United: Kalvin Phillips exit to Manchester City not worth it claims scathing Stan Collymore
Stan Collymore has questioned whether anything Kalvin Phillips achieved at Manchester City made it worth leaving Leeds United.
The former Premier League striker said in his Caught Offside column on 15 March that the on-loan West Ham midfielder has had an “absolute nightmare” at the London Stadium and now has no chance of going to the Euros with England in the summer.
He called the former Elland Road favourite “living proof” that some transfers aren’t right long-term and suggested more money and winners medals he didn’t contribute to at City wouldn’t outweigh departing Leeds and now losing his spot in Gareth Southgate’s side.
Collymore said: “I don’t think anyone is really surprised the 28-year-old hasn’t been included in the Three Lion’s latest squad. His form has dropped off a cliff since he joined West Ham at the start of the year. He’s had an absolute nightmare.
“The on-loan Manchester City midfielder is living proof that accepting some transfers may not be best in the long run.
“I am sure he received a massive pay rise by leaving Leeds and joining City and he has a token treble but there is no way he’s getting back into that England squad in time for the Euros in the summer, so was it really worth it?
“What would he rather have? — A treble of winners’ medals that he didn’t really contribute toward, or the chance to represent England, and potentially win the country’s first piece of major international silverware since 1966?”
Former Leeds United favourite endures nightmare loan at West Ham to lose England place
On a personal level it is debatable whether Phillips’ time at the Etihad made leaving Leeds United a worthwhile sacrifice, when the midfielder was a star and fan-favourite at his boyhood club.
It isn’t hard to see why the 28-year-old took the opportunity to move to the dominant side in the country and play for arguably the top manager in this generation.
But after being publicly called out on his weight by Pep Guardiola and barely ever given a meaningful look in, despite appearing to maintain a positive attitude the whole time, he might have been excused for feeling it had been a mistake.
That is open to debate, especially since Gareth Southgate continued to pick him for England despite him not playing at City.
What isn’t open to question is that his fortunes have dipped significantly since he went on loan to West Ham in January, where he has been singled out for criticism and has now lost his international spot.
Since that loan would never have happened if he’d been getting games in Manchester then, with the benefit of hindsight, it is easy to argue his £42million Whites exit [Sky Sports] hasn’t been fruitful.
But following the sacking of Marcelo Bielsa during the season before he left there is perhaps no guarantee that Phillips would have maintained his level at Elland Road, with the Argentine widely credited with being able to get more from him than any other manager.
In other Leeds United news, an attacker who has double-digit appearances this season for Daniel Farke now has no way back under the German.
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