West Ham United are closing in on a loan deal for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, undergoing medical tests later today in London as per Fabrizio Romano.
Though out of favour under Pep Guardiola, the England international has remained high on David Moyes' list ever since his time at Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa. A move for the 'Yorkshire Pirlo' is expected to be completed on Thursday, thus allowing West Ham to play him in their game against Bournemouth next Thursday should they need to.
Renowned for his ball-winning ability, Phillips can be likened to Edson Alvarez in the current West Ham side. A lack of fear and willingness to dive into a challenge has earned Phillips a reputation as a 'proper' midfielder, and if history is anything to go by, one that West Ham fans are sure to take a liking to.
According to reports, the loan deal does include a buy option, though it is currently unclear what region the fee lies in. The Hammers will cover Phillips' full wage over the duration of the loan deal, which is believed to be in the region of £150,000 per week, making Phillips the joint-highest earner in East London alongside Lucas Paqueta (as per Spotrac).
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Where does Phillips fit in?
Whilst lacking minutes under Guardiola for Man City, Phillips can certainly make an immediate impact for West Ham. The absence of Alvarez due to a calf injury opens up a spot straight away for Phillips in the midfield, where he can play alongside Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse.
It has been known for some time that West Ham have been lacking in the defensive-midfield department, struggling for depth for a number of years now. A 'Declan Rice' shaped hole was left in the middle of the pitch last season but the Hammers have reinvested smartly, signing the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Ward-Prowse, Alvarez and Konstantinos Mavropanos.
It is also worth noting that whilst Phillips could initially fill in for Alvarez while he is injured, they can also co-exist and play alongside one another to create a brilliant defensive spine. It does beg the question, however, of 'where does Soucek fit in?', with suggestions that he could be dropped to make way for Phillips, who is greater defensively.
West Ham will hope that the signing of Phillips can help in both their pursuit of European football through the league and their current Europa League campaign, where they will play in the Round of 16 after topping their group. Four consecutive seasons in European football would be an incredible achievement for Moyes and West Ham, and the former Leeds midfielder could certainly be the key to maintaining performances and helping bring Europe to East London.
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A busy January for West Ham
It seems like this may be a busy January for West Ham. Technical Director Tim Steidten looks to be working on multiple more deals for the Hammers in this winter window, with the likes of Ibrahim Osman of Nordsjælland and Jota of Al-Ittihad on the shortlist too.
The one looking more likely of the two thus far seems to be Ibrahim Osman - a Ghanaian international who came through Ghana's 'Right to Dream' academy, which has produced West Ham's own Kudus. Other names include Simon Adingra (Brighton), Kamaldeen Sulemana (Southampton) and Ernest Nuamah (Olympique Lyon).
Whilst an initial approach for Osman has been turned down by Nordsjælland, it is expected that new talks are scheduled to take place today to get a deal done between all parties, according to reports.
Osman, 19, has impressed in his time at Danish side Nordsjælland, catching the eye of other Premier League sides like Brighton and Arsenal.
