Can Kalvin Phillips Help West Ham Secure European Football?
The English Premier League January transfer window usually sees a lot of activity as teams look to move on players that aren’t featuring or move to strengthen positions and cover long-term injuries.
This transfer window has been a bit quieter than normal and this could be put down to the recent 10-point deduction for breaching profitability and sustainability rules.
Tottenham have been most notable in this transfer window with big earners Hugo Lloris and Eric Dyer moving and Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin coming in. It is big moves like this that can impact Premier League betting odds with online operators reacting to the latest transfer and injury news to update markets.
Online betting gives football fans easy access to the latest odds and the safest and regulated ones in the UK currently place Tottenham as fourth favourites and relative outsiders for the EPL this season.
Betting expert Ian Bruce explains that football fans won’t be able to stream football games via UK online bookmakers due to broadcast deals, but online betting allows consumers to place live bets while watching at home, at the pub, or at matches.
Another team that is set to complete a huge move during this window is West Ham who is close to confirming the loan signing of Manchester City and England midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
Phillips to West Ham
West Ham is understood to be paying Manchester City a £6 million loan fee and will cover an unannounced percentage of Kalvin Phillips’ wages as the highly-rated midfielder looks set to secure a loan move until the end of the season.
A potential deal that could involve a £40 million transfer in the summer should West Ham choose to keep him. This deal comes as Phillips aims to get more first-team football following his unsuccessful move to Manchester City from Leeds in 2022 for £45 million.
Phillips has featured just 31 times for Manchester City despite Pep Guardiola praising the attitude and ability of Phillips. Sometimes transfers just don’t work out and it is time for Phillips to move on and, at 28, enjoy the peak of his career.
What This Move Means for Manchester City
Phillips’s inability to unseat Rodri in midfield means that Manchester City have been paying wages of around £140,000 per week for a reserve. None of this is Kalvin Phillips’s fault, but moving the player on frees up a lot of money and allows Guardiola to potentially give a younger player more experience.
What this Move Means for West Ham
The loss of Declan Rice to Arsenal in the summer for £105 million was expected to seriously dent West Ham’s hopes for European qualification this season. However, this season they have been impressive and currently sit sixth in the table, 3 points clear of Brighton.
West Ham’s European glory in Prague on June 7th, fans were hopeful that they could push on and strengthen the squad.
The signing of Philips is a massive sign of intent that could help West Ham secure European football again. David Moyes will be pleased to add a player who will be desperate to make his mark and cement his place in England’s squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament.
