West Ham confirm Kalvin Phillips loan and shirt number
- West Ham sign Kalvin Phillips on initial loan move
- Deal not believed to include formal option to buy
- Phillips has hardly played for Man City since 2022 move from Leeds
By Sean Walsh
Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips has signed for West Ham United on loan for the rest of the 2023/24 season.
Phillips has seldom played for City since his move from Leeds United in the summer of 2022 and his game-time has further dwindled this season, playing just 318 minutes of club football.
The treble-winners were open to Phillips leaving on loan this month, with Juventus and Newcastle United among the sides that showed an interest in signing him during the January transfer window.
But the 28-year-old has joined West Ham on loan for the remainder of the campaign in a deal which is not reported to include an option to buy, although City will likely be open to offers in the summer.
"I’m really pleased to be here," said Phillips, who will wear the number 11 shirt at West Ham. "There’s always been a lot of speculation about me moving to West Ham, so I’m really excited to get going now.
"There’s so much to look forward to in the second half of the season for the Club and I can’t wait to be part of it.
"There’s an unbelievable group here and if I can come in and add the quality that I know I’m capable of, I’m sure we can give the West Ham fans plenty to be excited about between now and the end of the season."
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Manager David Moyes added: "We are really pleased to bring a player of Kalvin’s quality to West Ham United.
"We’ve been big admirers of him for a long time and we believe that he will add strength and competition to our squad. Kalvin is an England international midfielder, with proven Premier League experience. We’re excited to welcome him into the group and look forward to working with him."
Phillips joins a West Ham side that currently sit sixth in the Premier League standings and are already through to the last 16 of the Europa League. Moyes' men have kicked on this season despite the British-record sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal last summer but have shown a need for midfield reinforcements in recent weeks.
With Euro 2024 on the horizon, Phillips will also be looking to keep himself in the forefront of Gareth Southgate's thoughts. Despite his scarce minutes with City, Phillips has continued to be an England regular and was named in the Three Lions squad for their last two major tournaments.
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