Man City’s Unwanted Midfielder the Right Man for Spurs?

Welcome back to Rating the Rumour, which does exactly what it says on the tin. We’ll be taking the biggest transfer rumours related to Premier League teams and rating the likelihood of the moves coming to fruition.

The final rating will be decided based on the potential fit of the player into the rumoured buying club, the need for that club to sign a player for the position played, whether the player is of the level required by the club, whether the club could afford the rumoured price and whether or not the player is even likely to be available for transfer.

We will not factor in the reliability of the rumour, as it would likely cause mass amounts of crying from outlets, journalists and “journalists” who would have to be denounced as spoofers.

With the ground rules laid out, let’s look at Kalvin Phillips to Tottenham Hotspur, which has been reported by Football Insider.

Fit

This season Tottenham have been largely utilising the double pivot of Yves Bissouma and Papa Matar Sarr, both of whom have played at an outstanding level while forming one of the best partnerships in the Premier League. One area which has been very promising for them is seeing them quickly gain an understanding of their rotating roles depending on the phase of play. If Bissouma joins the attack, Sarr will hold the midfield and vice versa. It’s rare that they’ve been caught with both players advanced and out of position when Tottenham lose possession.

Kalvin Phillips has experience playing in a similar set-up with England, where he and Declan Rice formed a similar type of understanding as England reached the final of Euro 2020. At club-level, he’s more experienced as the lone holding midfielder in a three but he seemed to thrive alongside Rice and also allowed Rice to play his more natural box-to-box role.

Phillips would likely fit well into Ange Postecoglou’s system and would certainly thrive in Tottenham’s pressing system, having had plenty of experience in a similarly aggressive team at Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa.

Fit Rating – 2/2

Need

With the news that Rodrigo Bentancur has been ruled out for months after a reckless challenge from Matty Cash injured the ankle of the Uruguayan schemer, it’s not out of the question that Tottenham could dip into the market but do they really need to?

They have Bissouma and Sarr, along with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Ollie Skipp as well as the potential to use Giovani Lo Celso in the midfield two so it would appear that Spurs are well stocked in that area. Even if Hojbjerg leaves in January, as has been rumoured, Bentancur will be back around March so unless the move for Phillips was a loan it’s hard to see the need. It’s also difficult to see the benefit for the player, given he’s unlikely to start ahead of Bissouma and Sarr and while both will head off to AFCON in January it would not make sense for Spurs to commit to a significant move to cover a one-month absence.

Need Rating – 0/2

Level

Kalvin Phillips is an excellent player and his time at Manchester City seems to have led to many people forgetting that. His lack of game time is down to the presence of the best holding midfielder in world football, as well as a manager who seems to have taken a dislike to him for some reason.

Level Rating – 2/2

Affordability

Manchester City paid £45mil for Phillips when they signed him from Leeds and they will know that they are facing a significant loss on that sum when they move him on, but Phillips remains a regular in the England squad and will hold good value. City would probably seek a fee of £30mil for the 28-year-old but might be willing to do a loan with an obligation to buy in the summer.

That sort of fee would be doable for Tottenham, especially if they sold Hojbjerg, should they want to proceed with such a deal.

Affordability Rating – 2/2

For Sale?

There’s no question that Phillips is available. Guardiola has given the England international only 215 minutes of playing time this season, with his only start coming in an EFL Cup defeat against Newcastle. Given Phillips has been available for selection all season, it’s quite clear that he’s not part of the manager’s plans and is free to move.

Availability Rating – 2/2

Final Rating

Overall this rumour works out as an 8/10 but it still seems very unlikely that it would come to fruition. Tottenham don’t have the need, and it’s not a move that would benefit a player desperate for regular first-team football.