Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has called reports linking Kalvin Phillips with a move back to Leeds United “nonsense.”
Even though the two promotion battlers of a season ago are no longer in the same division, Ipswich and Leeds could influence each other’s chances of staying in their respective leagues.
The Tractor Boys were able to beat the Whites to second place last season, earning themselves back-to-back promotions and a return to the Premier League.
| Championship standings 2023/24 | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Leicester City (C) | 46 | 48 | 97 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town (P) | 46 | 35 | 96 |
| 3 | Leeds United | 46 | 38 | 90 |
| 4 | Southampton | 46 | 24 | 87 |
| 5 | West Brom | 46 | 23 | 75 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 46 | 15 | 73 |
Leeds, who were one of the favourites to go up at the start of the season, had to settle for the top play-off spot, but they ended up losing in the final to Southampton.
In order to aid their chances of remaining a top flight club, Town brought in Phillips – a former Leeds fan favourite – on loan to try and add a bit of Premier League experience to their squad.
Phillips was a key part of why United performed so well in their first season back in the Premier League; Ipswich hope that he will have a similar effect.
That said, there has been a report which suggested they weren’t entirely happy with the 28-year-old Manchester City midfielder.
Football Insider stated that Ipswich could end Phillips’ loan spell in January as they weren’t impressed with his apparent lack of mobility. They added that senior figures at Portman Road think that he wants to go back to Elland Road.
Kieran McKenna responds to Kalvin Phillips, Leeds links
Ipswich’s Northern Irish manager completely dismissed any suggestions that he or anyone else at the club weren’t happy with Phillips, after his side’s dramatic 4-3 loss to Brentford on Saturday.
Injuries to Sam Morsy, Massima Luongo and Jack Taylor have left Town with just two fit central midfielders – Phillips being one of them. Letting him go back to the Etihad Stadium, and thus potentially opening up the possibility of a return to Yorkshire, in January would leave Town even more short of options in the middle of the pitch.
“What can I say on that? Proper, proper nonsense,” said McKenna on the reports linking Phillips with a January exit and potential Leeds move, via EADT.
“I learned quite a while ago in football that you can write something online and it circulates and gets picked up by quite a lot of media outlets and then it becomes a story.
“It’s absolute nonsense. There have been no conversations of the like and I think it’s a real, real shame. He had a very good game.”
This isn’t the first time that Leeds have been linked with a loan move for a former midfielder who now plays in the Premier League. The club’s manager was asked at his pre-Bristol City press conference about the chances of seeing a return to Elland Road for Archie Gray, who was sold to Tottenham Hotspur this summer as part of a £40 million deal.
“I don’t speak about other players who are under contract at other clubs,” said Farke, via Leeds Live. “I’m a bit reluctant to do any comments who are not under contract anymore.
“Our fingers are crossed for Archie and his whole career. If you want some recommendation, he already has my telephone number but I keep it pretty private what I recommend.”
Kalvin Phillips January move would be great for Leeds, but it’s unlikely to happen
The 28-year-old’s decision to join West Ham United last summer despite an offer from Juventus was partially fueled by his desire to get back into the England squad for Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate told him that he had a better chance of being selected if he played in the Premier League rather than the Serie A. That should tell you everything you need to know about his slim-to-none chances of going back to Leeds this season.
They could certainly do with him. Knee injuries suffered by captain Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev have ruled them out until after the new year.
Leeds have been forced to dip into the free agent market, signing former Wolfsburg midfielder Joshua Guilavogui in order to add more depth to their options in the middle of the park.
The Whites may have signed Guilavogui because of Daniel Farke’s knowledge of him and the German market, according to one pundit.
But, to go back to the national team point, even with a new manager in Thomas Tuchel, it’s so unlikely that a second-tier player is going to be called up to play for England.
That, combined with McKenna’s seeming unwillingness to lose him in January, should calm any hopes of seeing Phillips back wearing white at Elland Road this season.
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