Failed Manchester City transfer pursuit ‘certainly not a regret’ – Feeling of ‘dodged bullet’ after January window

A new report has revealed the feeling from within Italian giants Juventus following their ultimately failed pursuit of Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips.

The Italian giants were strongly linked with a move for the England international, as Phillips looked to get his top-level professional playing career back on track following a difficult time with Manchester City.

After joining the club in light of being named England Player of the Year, Phillips largely struggled to embed himself into Pep Guardiola’s plans, often leaving Rodri undroppable for the most-part of the season and underperforming when granted opportunities.

A similarly difficult first-half to his second season with Manchester City forced Phillips to seek other options in the game in an attempt to break into Gareth Southgate’s thinking for the upcoming European Championships.

However, while Juventus had been deemed an early likely option for the midfielder, it was West Ham who ultimately won the race for the player, who put his future in the hands of highly-respected manager David Moyes.

Now, according to the information of Il Bianconero, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, there is ‘certainly not a regret’ now within Juventus that they missed out on the deal to secure Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City in January.

It is further claimed that there seems to be a ‘distinct sense that they may have dodged a bullet’, while West Ham are now in a situation where they will aim to improve the feeling around Kalvin Phillips ahead of a return to the Etihad Stadium in the summer.

Across the course of this season, during his time with both Manchester City and West Ham, Kalvin Phillips has managed to accumulate just 20 appearances, amounting to a total of 637 minutes in on-field action.

In that time, Phillips has scored one goal, which came on matchday six of the UEFA Champions League group stage, as the 28-year-old struck home from the penalty spot for Manchester City against Crvena zvezda in Belgrade.

With the summer window looming in the coming months, it is highly likely City officials will look to facilitate a permanent exit for Kalvin Phillips, who could yet look into the possibility of a return to Leeds United, should the Elland Road club return to the Premier League.