Tottenham Hotspur could reportedly look to sign Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips in January, as per The Telegraph.
The North London club have been exploring the possibility of signing a new midfielder since last summer. Spurs were linked with several options in the last transfer window with Conor Gallagher being mentioned as a serious target. But, they eventually didn’t sign anyone before the deadline.
So, after deciding not to reinforce their engine room last time around, Ange Postecoglou’s side are seemingly looking to do that in the winter window.
However, Gallagher has now established himself as a key member of Mauricio Pochettino’s first eleven for Chelsea. So, it is highly unlikely that the Blues will allow his departure next year.
Therefore, it appears having given up on their hopes of signing Gallagher, Spurs have started to explore alternative targets to reinforce their midfield department with Phillips now emerging as a key option.
According to the report by The Telegraph, Tottenham’s new technical director, Johan Lange is a ‘huge fan’ of Phillips so the Lilywhites could opt to make a move to sign him if they end up selling Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in January.
Phillips to Tottenham
However, the report claims that securing Phillips’ signature won’t be easy for the North London club as Newcastle United and Juventus are also keen on purchasing him next year.
Hojbjerg was heavily linked with a move away from the club last summer, but a deal never materialised before the deadline. It seems he hasn’t been able to impress the new boss Ange Postecoglou as he has found it difficult to break into the Australian’s starting eleven.
So, if he were to leave the club in search of regular playing time then Phillips could be a solid signing for the North London club to replace the Dane. The midfielder is dynamic, technically sound, can link-up the play from defence to attack, works extremely hard without possession and is also efficient in defensive contributions.
However, bearing in mind that, Phillips hasn’t been able to showcase his best for Man City after joining the club in a £45m deal, it would be risky for Tottenham to purchase him by spending a big fee.
Therefore, Spurs could be better off signing him on a loan deal and if Phillips manages to impress Postecoglou then it would be the right decision to secure his signature permanently.
