Ipswich Town backed for avoiding Sheffield United transfer gamble - it wasn't 'what we need' | OneFootball

Ipswich Town didn't look to bring former player Kalvin Phillips back to the club in January, with the midfielder joining Sheffield United on loan.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Ipswich Town have been praised for signing Sunderland’s Dan Neil over Kalvin Phillips after the Man City loanee joined Sheffield United in the January window.

Kieran McKenna’s side are firmly in the mix for a top two finish this season, and they were active once again in the market as they looked to strengthen the squad.

The arrival of Neil was a headline deal for Ipswich, as bringing in a midfielder had been a priority for the Tractor Boys, and the Sunderland academy graduate arrives with good pedigree having won promotion last season.

Ipswich Town didn’t enter race to sign Kalvin Phillips from Man City

Another potential option on the table for Ipswich was Phillips, with the former Leeds man out of favour at City under Pep Guardiola.

Therefore, it was suggested all month that he could move on, with Wolves, Burnley and Sheffield United among those keeping tabs on the England international.

Ultimately, the Blades won the race for his signature, with Phillips returning to the second tier for the first time since he starred for Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds side as they won promotion in the 2019/20 campaign.

Since his move to City, Phillips’ career hasn’t gone to plan, and that includes a loan move to Ipswich last season. The 30-year-old played 19 times for the Suffolk outfit as they were relegated, with Phillips struggling to rediscover his best form.

Nevertheless, it may have been a different story in the Championship, but when FLW quizzed Ipswich fan pundit Adam about whether the Tractor Boys should have been in the mix to sign Phillips, he made it clear that he didn’t think it would’ve been a smart move.

“As much as I rate Phillips as a player, and I don’t think he was as bad in our Premier League season as many made out, I don’t think he is what we need for a promotion push right now.

“He has barely played any football, he has had injury issues, with us and with Man City, so he just needs game time somewhere. It’s a good move for him to get back to Yorkshire, and we got Dan Neil in, who is a much better fit for our system, and what we need from our midfielder.

“So, I’m not disappointed we weren’t in the mix for him at all, but I do hope he does well at Sheffield United.”

Ipswich Town were right to avoid Kalvin Phillips risk in January

This is a sensible view of Ipswich and Phillips, as they are in a position where they need players to hit the ground running.

The only aim is winning promotion, so it’s all about these next 17 games, with McKenna needing players who can make an instant impact and do their bit to help Ipswich back to the Premier League.

That’s not to say Phillips wouldn’t have been able to contribute, but there would have been risks to any potential deal.

Firstly, he has played just eight minutes of football since May 2025, so you would expect the midfielder will need a number of games to get up to speed in terms of his fitness.

As well as that, Phillips has suffered from injuries a lot in recent years - as Ipswich fans will know, so there will be concerns about his ability to play week in, week out over the next few months.

In Neil, McKenna has got a player who barely missed a game for Sunderland over a four-year period up until their promotion this summer, so you can see why they went down that road, and they hope it will be a decision that pays off when they look back in May.