The 28-year-old player has recently expressed his excitement at joining West Ham following his feeling of being “unproductive” at Manchester City. Despite arriving from Leeds in the summer of 2022, the talented midfielder struggled to make an impression in his first season at City. This was not helped by a shoulder injury he sustained early on. Despite this setback, the England international turned down offers to leave after just 12 months at the Etihad.
Unfortunately, with no more opportunities at City, he opted for a loan move to West Ham in the January window. Pep Guardiola, the City manager, spoke highly of Kalvin Phillips’ behavior at the club and apologized for not being able to find a place for him in the team. However, the harsh reality for Phillips became evident during a three-game suspension for Rodri, where he started just one game and youngster Rico Lewis was preferred for a significant match against Arsenal.
Since joining West Ham, Phillips has faced a few teething issues in his opening matches against Bournemouth and Manchester United. Despite this, he remains hopeful that a consistent run of games will help him regain his form and secure a place in the England squad for the upcoming European Championship. Phillips candidly admitted that leaving City made him feel sad initially but quickly shifted his focus to the excitement of playing for West Ham and finding joy in the game once more.
“It’s obviously a massive decision for me and my family, but I think it was a decision that I needed to make because I wasn’t getting much game time,” Phillips explained. “When you don’t play football for so long, you kind of feel a little bit useless because you’ve not been doing anything. So, for me, it was just more coming to a good club with good fans and just enjoying my football again.”
Phillips further reflected on his emotions, saying, “I was very sad when I knew that my next step had to be to move on, but I got over that quite quickly and was just more excited than anything to get down here and see the place and see how London is, which is very busy. I was very excited to get going.”
With this positive mindset, Phillips is looking forward to the new chapter of his career at West Ham, eager to make an impact and contribute to the team’s success while also relishing the experience of playing in the bustling atmosphere of London.
