Anton Ferdinand wants Kalvin Phillips as ideal West Ham United signing
West Ham have previously shown interest in Kalvin Phillips while the midfielder was at Leeds United and Anton Ferdinand has called for the club to reignite that interest.
As reported by The Evening Standard (29 January 2022), the Hammers bid £50million for Phillips before he eventually made the switch to Premier League champions Manchester City. Claret & Hugh reported on 13 May that Man City could use Phillips as a makeweight in a player-plus-cash-deal for Declan Rice.
And with West Ham expecting a large sum of money from the sale of Rice, they will be in the market for a midfielder to replace their captain, and that replacement should be Phillips, according to Ferdinand.
“We obviously need to bring in someone that will replace Dec if he goes. Kalvin Phillips, I’d take. I’d want him at my club. I’m being realistic,” Ferdinand told the FIVE Youtube channel (14 June).
“He’s at the best club, not just in England, but in the world right now. When he was at Leeds, he was fantastic. I think the reason why he’s had injuries is because he isn’t playing. He gets a good pre-season under his belt and playing games properly, I think he’ll be fine. But you can’t question his ability and what he’s done when playing.”
Good replacement
If West Ham want to build on their UEFA Conference League victory, they will need to replace Rice if he is to leave the club. The captain is arguably the Hammers’ best player and it will not be easy to fill any hole which he may leave behind.
However, Phillips would not be a bad attempt at making that replacement as Ferdinand has pointed out. Although he hasn’t featured much since his move to Manchester City, that does not take away from the quality of player he is.
The 27-year-old wouldn’t be an unrealistic signing for West Ham and is probably one of the more suitable options in the Premier League. His lack of game time may have left him frustrated and it is not hard to believe that he would be open to hearing an offer.
But, in reality, Manchester City are unlikely to let go of Phillips just yet, especially so soon after signing him, and this signing might have to remain a dream for Ferdinand for the time being.