Manchester City and Ipswich Town have already engaged in transfer business this summer, marking the beginning of what seems to be a busy window for City. The first significant move was City’s sale of Liam Delap to Ipswich for an initial fee of £15 million, with an additional £5 million in potential add-ons.
This transfer provided Ipswich, newly promoted to a higher league, the opportunity to secure one of the most promising young strikers in English football.
At the time of the sale, Manchester City had both Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez in their squad, making Delap’s departure manageable. However, City has since sold Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for a substantial fee of £82 million, adding to their impressive earnings from striker sales this summer.
Despite these high-profile departures, Manchester City’s summer transfer activity is far from complete, particularly regarding outgoing players. Alongside Delap and Alvarez, the club has also parted ways with Yan Couto, Micah Hamilton, Sergio Gomez, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
Manchester City is known for maintaining a smaller squad compared to other top teams, focusing on quality and versatility rather than sheer numbers. Pep Guardiola, City’s manager, prefers players who can excel in highly competitive environments. One player who has not quite fit into Guardiola’s plans is Kalvin Phillips, who now appears to be on the verge of a loan move to Ipswich Town.
Journalist Mike McGrath recently reported that Ipswich is close to securing a season-long loan deal for Phillips, a move that would be a significant acquisition for the newly promoted club. Although Guardiola has previously praised Phillips as an “intelligent player,” he seems to favor Mateo Kovacic in the central midfield role, having started Kovacic over Phillips in the FA Community Shield against Manchester United.
Guardiola also hinted that Phillips struggles in the chaotic midfield environment, stating that Phillips is more comfortable when he can see the entire game in front of him rather than being surrounded by players.
If the loan to Ipswich goes through, Phillips will have the chance to redeem himself after a challenging stint at West Ham United.
At 28, Phillips may have worried about finding opportunities in the Premier League, but this move could allow him to prove his worth under Kieran McKenna’s management and possibly work his way back into the England squad. Whether Phillips can seize this second chance remains to be seen.
