The genius Aston Villa and Man City summer deal that would make perfect sense for both clubs
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There was a video of Kalvin Phillips that went viral over the weekend. You may well have seen it. In the clip, the Manchester City midfielder, playing against AC Milan on preseason duty amid the slightly jarring proportions of the Yankee Stadium, receives possession in his own half, just inside the centre circle. Phillips then proceeds to turn out, put his foot on the ball, turn back, turn back again, put his foot on the ball again, turn back again, and then, just before the footage cuts, put his foot on the ball and, you guessed it, turn back again.
In truth, it is a video that acts as a pretty perfect metaphor for where the 28-year-old finds himself at this point in his career; the dithering, the lack of concrete intention, the subsequent barrage of mockery from displeased fans. Phillips continues to project the distinct vibe of a lost soul, and you suspect that he will struggle to rediscover himself should he stay at City for much longer.
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Hide AdWhich brings us to Aston Villa, and their hopes of offering the player a viable way out of his Etihad limbo. According to an update from Football Insider, the Villans have tabled a loan bid for Phillips, with the midfielder actively seeking an exit in the coming weeks. For their part, despite having already spent £50 million on Belgian star Amadou Onana, it is understood that Villa would still like to recruit another option in the centre of the park.
Ideally, both City and Phillips would reportedly prefer a permanent parting of ways, but the Premier League champions may also be willing to accept a more temporary arrangement for the time being. Everton are said to be monitoring the City player’s ongoing situation as well.
But if Villa’s interest is genuine, and if the opportunity to move to Villa Park presents itself to Phillips, then surely he has to jump at it - permanent or not. Given how unrelentingly underwhelming his time in Manchester has been, and how shoddy he was during his loan stint with West Ham last season, the notion that he could still somehow fall into the lap of a Champions League side is almost incredible.
And yet, there is no denying that Phillips is a quality footballer. His range of distribution is near-peerless, his ability to anticipate and defuse danger is superb, and all things considered, there is a reason why City spent so much money to sign him in the first place. Of course, he has not been shown much of his best self in the time since, but good players do not become bad players overnight, and Villa will know that with the right amount of patience and coaxing, they could bring in a very, very handy asset indeed.
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Hide AdThis feels, then, like a deal that could suit all parties; City offload their man, Phillips gets the fresh start that he has been so desperately crying out for, and Villa add another high-pedigree body in the engine room. It all makes an awful lot of sense...
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