Kalvin Phillips reveals David Moyes has been chasing him for TWO years before he joined West Ham on loan… as the England midfielder insists he’s ‘ready and raring to go’ at his new club
- Kalvin Phillips joined West Ham on loan from Manchester City for a season
- The midfielder insisted he would have joined the Hammers in 2022 if City had not gone in
- A sad, dejected manager says goodbye. This is a seismic moment for Liverpool It all starts
Kalvin Phillips revealed that David Moyes has been chasing him for two years after West Ham finally secured his long-term target on loan from Manchester City.
Moyes offered Ā£50 million for Phillips in January 2022 – a bid rejected by Leeds. The 28-year-old box-to-box midfielder said that if City had not made the move the following summer, he would have joined West Ham.
Phillips spoke to Moyes on the phone from City’s warm-weather training camp in Abu Dhabi ahead of the signing and the England international said: ‘Moyesy, he’s been after me for two years. It would happen eventually.
‘Honestly, if City hadn’t come in for me 18 months ago, West Ham would have been the club. (Lucas) Paqueta. (Muhammad) Kudus. I’ve seen how well they’ve done this year. I knew there was a possibility of me going to West Ham on loan.ā
Phillips will make his debut against Bournemouth in the Premier League next Thursday, with the loan signing likely to displace Tomas Soucek in the line-up.
Kalvin Phillips has described his excitement after joining West Ham on a season-long loan
The 28-year-old will spend the rest of the season with the Hammers after struggling for game time at Man City
The England midfielder added that David Moyes had tried to sign him during his time at Leeds
Once Moyes has a fully fit squad to choose from, he is expected to field a 4-2-3-1. That will see Phillips and Edson Alvarez in deep midfield, followed by Kudus, James Ward-Prowse and Paqueta behind Jarrod Bowen up front.
āI looked at the fixtures,ā Phillips said on the club’s internal podcast channel. āI’m ready and raring to go. I’m very excited to be here. It’s been a whirlwind few days, but I’m here, I’m ready to play and I’ll give everything for the team.ā
He is also eligible to compete in the Europa League, the final of which will take place in Dublin, with Phillips having Irish descent. Asked if it was written in the stars for him to help the club achieve that jewel, he said: ‘Maybe. Could be. Hopefully.’
West Ham will fully cover Phillips’ wages. It is only an outright loan with no obligation to purchase, although the club intends to revisit talks over a permanent extension in the summer.