With the January transfer window soon to be with us, fans of the domestic Italian Serie A game are already aware such a country of beauty is going to be a real destination for many players in the English game who fancy a new challenge, and the latest to be linked with a potential move to former serial Scudetto winners Juventus, is current Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
The deal might not be straight forward though as fellow big spenders, Newcastle United, are also said to be in for the England and former Leeds United, international, but with manager Pep Guardiola seeming to be keen on keeping him around, a loan to a non rival (to get his current game time back up, and the impact that would have on his form and confidence) could make all of the sense in the world.
According to La Gazzetto dello Sport, the Old Lady have already made their overtures known for the New Year and their proposal could be the ‘ideal’ solution to Phillips’ current concerns, given it is already widely believed that he will be temporarily leaving the Etihad Stadium for a short spell, but not a permanent deal.
The 27 year old has not had a great time since his move from Elland Road, and last season he only made two Premier League starts (12 appearances in total) and in 2023/24 he has been limited to only 73 minutes – and his game time did not improve when Rodri was suspended for three games.
Guardiola might not be ready to sell or loan him to a rival, and that is where the Juventus option comes in handy, particularly, as the player continues to have aspirations on the national side for the 2024 European Championships.
Given England manager Gareth Southgate’s often repeated preference to only select players who regular feature, whether he in the mind of fans actually sticks to that mantra, Juventus would obviously be a great option for the player, but so would Newcastle who would be a touch more front and centre given their Premier League status.
Whilst Eddie Howe has a number of injury issues at St James’ Park right now, for Phillips, the fact he might see himself as a potentially more consistent playing option for Allegri, given the suspended Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli, many would understand why he, and City, would view it as a more attractive option. Especially as, if he gets back to his best, he then would not be working against City’s own league ambitions, but instead Juventus’ owns.
