Tottenham to battle Man City for 25-year-old English ace

Tottenham Hotspur eye Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips amidst Manchester City interest

According to Spanish publication Fichajes (h/t Yorkshire Evening Post), Tottenham Hotspur are interested in securing the services of Leeds United superstar Kalvin Phillips amidst interest from Manchester City. He has emerged as one of the best English midfielders in the Premier League currently.

Phillips arrived at the fore during his Euro 2020 campaign when he made the England squad for the 2020 UEFA European Championship. The final squad was always going to be a topic for debate, and the inclusion of a midfielder from a mid-table team such as Leeds would have raised some eyebrows.

But Phillips exceeded expectations and was highly impressive in a double pivot for the Three Lions, alongside West Ham United’s Declan Rice. Moreover, we got to see a different side of Phillips when he was acting as a box-to-box midfielder at times.

The Englishman has become a crucial component under Bielsa, where he has commanded over the midfield role. Tottenham, on the other hand, arguably need some reinforcements in the coming transfer window if they hope to challenge for titles. Their squad is still not up to par with the heavyweights, and Phillips could uplift the quality in midfield should he join the club.

However, Daniel Levy would have to battle it out with Man City, who are keen to acquire the signature of the 25-year-old midfielder. If Conte really does want the Leeds star at N17, then Daniel Levy should back the manager considering he could be the man to end our trophy drought. 

How he would fit?

Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli are yet to impress under Conte, and there are question marks over their future. Giovani Lo Celso has also been underwhelming since his move but looked promising in the short time he played for the Italian.

This isn’t to say that the trio won’t have a chance to impress the ex-Chelsea and Inter Milan boss. But should they fail to do so, it would be wise to get in a solid midfielder in the middle who can put in the work on and off the ball. It is certainly exciting to imagine a Spurs midfield two with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

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So far, the Spurs boss has preferred a midfield pairing of the Denmark international and Oliver Skipp in front of his backline. Harry Winks has impressed in his outing against Leeds but our midfield arguably pales in comparison to that of elite sides such as Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool.

We also saw Moussa Sissoko leave this summer and did not really bring in an experienced, Premier League-tested player in place of him. And while we have good midfielders in our ranks, Phillips would certainly be a strong addition to our team- one that would certainly challenge for starting places week in, week out.

He is deployed in a central role under Bielsa and commands the line in front of their defenders. If Conte sticks to his style of playing with a midfield two at N17, Phillips’ potential addition could be useful for him. But it remains to be seen if we actually sign the 25-year-old, which would not be an easy task considering City are also apparently keen on him.