Once again the 'done deal' stories are flying about stating that Kalvin Phillips' move to Newcastle United is imminent.
The transfer window opens in just three days and as things stand, Newcastle have nobody lined up to come in on day one despite the clear need for reinforcements.
However, a loan deal to bring Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City appears to be closer than ever with a £7.5million loan fee touted yesterday in The Chronicle and more stories of the deal being close.
Now Rudi Galetti has said that Phillips is keen on the move and all parties are confident that a deal will be done.
Galetti understands that the key role Phillips will play in the Newcastle side - namely the holding midfielder we have been crying out for - will suit him well and will bolster his claim to a place in the England squad at Euro 2024, although let's be honest, he doesn't have to even play football to get that seat.
The goals conceded against Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day showed exactly why we need someone like Phillips in the side. It was far too easy for Forest to break away and get through the midfield to put the defence under pressure.
We still feel that Phillips won't be a quick fix as his lack of game time at City means he will need time to work on his match sharpness, although we expect that Man City's training is as difficult, it not more so than ours so we shouldn't have another Anthony Gordon situation.
£7.5million is a lot for a loan, but if it plugs that huge gap in our squad and works out well in the end, then who cares? Something's got to change.
If only we could get everything tied up so he could make his debut against Liverpool to give us at least some chance in that game.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Manchester City
|
9 | 11 | 23 |
2 |
Liverpool
|
9 | 12 | 22 |
3 |
Arsenal
|
9 | 7 | 18 |
4 |
Aston Villa
|
9 | 5 | 18 |
5 |
Chelsea
|
9 | 8 | 17 |
6 |
Brighton
|
9 | 4 | 16 |
7 |
Nottingham Forest
|
9 | 4 | 16 |
8 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
9 | 8 | 13 |
9 |
Brentford
|
9 | 0 | 13 |
10 |
Fulham
|
9 | 0 | 12 |
11 |
Bournemouth
|
9 | 0 | 12 |
12 |
Newcastle United
|
9 | -1 | 12 |
13 |
West Ham United
|
9 | -3 | 11 |
14 |
Manchester United
|
9 | -3 | 11 |
15 |
Leicester
|
9 | -4 | 9 |
16 |
Everton
|
9 | -6 | 9 |
17 |
Crystal Palace
|
9 | -5 | 6 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
9 | -11 | 4 |
19 |
Wolves
|
9 | -13 | 2 |
20 |
Southampton
|
9 | -13 | 1 |