Revealed: Why Pep Guardiola chose to sign Kalvin Phillips for Manchester City over Arsenal superstar | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola opted to sign Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips over a now-Arsenal superstar, according to a new report.

Phillips has endured a torrid time at the Etihad Stadium since leaving boyhood club Leeds United for Manchester City for £42 million in 2022.

The 30-year-old was brought in by former City sporting director Txiki Begiristain to learn from veteran midfielder and former club captain Fernandinho and compete with Ballon d’Or winner Rodri in the number six midfield position.

However, it all went downhill for the Yorkshire star in Manchester as Phillips failed to live up to expectations at City and 18 months into leaving Leeds, the midfielder joined West Ham on loan for six months.

Phillips’ struggles since leaving his beloved Leeds

Failing to convince the Hammers to buy him permanently, the England international spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Ipswich Town before suffering relegation and joining Sheffield United for the second half of the recent campaign – after an injury last summer prevented him from moving clubs.

Phillips has two years remaining on his contract at the Etihad Stadium and is unlikely to be re-integrated into the Manchester City setup by incoming manager Enzo Maresca, who has agreed a three year deal in principle to replace the recently departed Pep Guardiola.

Another loan spell in the EFL Championship could be in the offing for Phillips, who is expected to report for Manchester City pre-season training in July unless a resolution is reached on his immediate future in the meantime.

Report: Why Pep wanted Phillips over Rice

According to Telegraph Sport’s Jason Burt, when Guardiola was deciding between buying Phillips or Declan Rice in the summer 2022, he chose the former Leeds United star as he believed that he had a better passing range and was better at scanning.

It was a rare mistake by Guardiola, who unsuccessfully tried to rectify it by bidding against Arsenal for Rice. By then it was too late. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had put in the work to make sure Rice had set his heart on playing for him.

Phillips’ career trajectory since joining Manchester City is a disappointing viewing for anyone who saw the Englishman establish himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League at Elland Road, with huge uncertainty looming over the 30-year-old’s plans for the upcoming campaign.