Aston Villa aren’t short of ball-winning midfielders with Marvelous Nakamba and Morgan Sanson at their disposal, but Steven Gerrard wants a defensive-midfielder who can shield the backline as Douglas Luiz isn’t a natural in the role.
Villa missed out on Rodrigo Bentancur and failed to sign Yves Bissouma in January, so they’re turning their attentions to Kalvin Phillips, who could be available for £60m this summer. A significant payrise and push for European football in 12 months could convince him to make the switch.
Tony Cascarino believes Gerrard should ‘tackle the issue’ in midfield by landing Phillips’ signature, writing in The Times (h/t Birmingham Live): ‘I expect Gerrard to tackle this issue in the summer and Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips, with whom Villa have been linked, would provide reliability in midfield.’
Phillips was born in Leeds and has made 226 appearances in all competitions, scoring 14 goals with 13 assists. The 26-year-old represented England on 19 occasions and is one of the best defensive-midfielders in the Premier League, so he’d greatly improve the Villa squad.
Leeds don’t want to sell Phillips if they can help it, and the Englishman still has two-and-a-half-years remaining on his deal at Elland Road, so it remains to be seen if Villa’s pursuit is successful.
