Kalvin Phillips made an ambitious transfer to the Etihad from Leeds United. He accepted a six-year contract, which required a large transfer fee to seal the deal. He was unable to solidify his position in the squad, even if the transfer seemed promising.
The midfielder, who has struggled to get consistent playing time under Pep Guardiola, recently found a solution when West Ham and the English champions agreed to loan Phillips for the remainder of the current season. He has now received an apology from Guardiola, for whatever reason. Let’s investigate why.
Pep Guardiola apologizes to Kalvin Phillips
Following interest from West Ham and Crystal Palace in the January transfer window, Kalvin Phillips joined West Ham United on a six-month loan from Manchester City.
This move came after a challenging 18 months with the Citizens, during which he managed to secure only six starts in a total of 31 matches and score a single goal in all competitions. Meanwhile, this season, the defensive midfielder has made 10 appearances for the reigning champions.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola apologized for the fat-shaming remarks directed at the English international midfielder, Phillips when he returned to the club following his FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup campaign in December, being slightly overweight. Phillips himself revealed the impact of this criticism after moving on loan.
During the press conference ahead of their league clash against Brentford on Tuesday, Guardiola stated, “Yeah, I’m sorry. Once in eight years is not bad. But I’m so sorry. I apologized to him; I spoke to him before making the comment. I never, ever speak to the media before I speak to the team or the player in that case.”
Kalvin Phillips horrific start at West Ham continues
Since moving to London Stadium in January, the 28-year-old defensive midfielder’s early days with David Moyes’s side have been disastrous. His performance has been dismal, with two of his mistakes leading to goals in the first two fixtures: a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth and a 3-0 loss against Manchester United.
Most recently, Kalvin Phillips was sent off after receiving a second yellow card within five minutes against Nottingham Forest in another Premier League defeat, 2-0, on Saturday.
Consequently, the former Leeds United player is set to miss West Ham’s upcoming game. His tough luck seems to extend beyond his time at Manchester City, as the Irons are without a victory in any game in which he has featured this month.
