Man City's forgotten man Kalvin Phillips completes shock transfer deadline day loan to bottom-half Championship club

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Manchester City's forgotten man Kalvin Phillips has completed a shock January transfer to Sheffield United in the Championship on loan for the rest of the season. The former England international midfielder has struggled for minutes ever since making the move from Leeds United to the Etihad Stadium, and is now heading to the second tier of English football.

Phillips leaves Man City

Manchester City have confirmed that Phillips has joined the Blades on loan until the end of the season after a tough time at the Etihad. He has been registered to play for City in the Premier League this season but has yet to do so and recently sustained an injury, complicating any potential exit.  Phillips had a medical on deadline day with the Blades and has now completed his move. The deal is not thought to include a purchase option.

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Man City struggles for Phillips

Phillips joined City in a deal worth £42 million ($57m) in 2022 but across the last four years, he has made just four starts. He was loaned to Ipswich Town last season as the Tractor Boys fell into the Championship, with the club failing to chase up a permanent deal, and has also played on loan at West Ham. 

Manager Guardiola previously claimed Phillips was overweight in 2022, telling reporters: "He's not injured. He arrived overweight. I don't know [why]. He didn't arrive in the condition to do training sessions and to play... That's why he cannot play. When he will be ready, he will play, because we need him, we need him a lot."

Phillips later claimed the comment was one of the toughest moments of his career, saying: “After the World Cup was probably the toughest [moment], when Pep came out and said I was overweight. He was right to do so, but there are different ways to go about it. I did not disagree with him, but obviously I took a big knock on my confidence and how I felt at City. And my family were not happy about it either, especially my mum.”

He added: “She got frustrated when I was at City, she didn’t come to watch as much."

Guardiola's apology

Guardiola took the somewhat unusual step of publicly apologising to Phillips over his comment, doing so in 2024. 

He said: "I'm sorry. I do apologise to him. I'm so sorry. I did speak about that. I never before said something here [to the media] without speaking to the player."

Phillips, regardless, is now set to leave the Etihad as he seeks a fresh start in his career.

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What comes next?

Sheffield United are currently 17th in the Championship and they sit 11 points off the play-off places. The arrival of a seasoned campaigner in Phillips, who has previously won promotion from the second-tier with Leeds, could well be the jolt they need to put together a winning run. 

Boss Chris Wilder said: “There are going to be players in the next two or three hours that are linked and flying about all over the place. I just got a call from somebody asking if something was true, and there's interest in players right the way through.

“We're interested in good players. I said all along I want the group to be strong when the window shuts. It’s a working day for us and we're working hard to get some over the line.

“We've had some interest in our players and we're interested in good players. So, let's wait and see and hopefully people will be positive.”

The club are also poised to sign Joe Rothwell from Rangers, with Wilder confirming: “Joe’s in situ and hopefully we can get that one over the line. He's somebody that gives us that strength in depth in the midfield department, and someone I've liked for quite a long time, So he’ll bring good competition and balance in there with if we get it over the line.”