It looks as if the voices are starting to grow in number, and that isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Whilst it isn’t news to say that Leeds United fans are in love with Kalvin Phillips, he’s slowly but surely starting to gain attention from outside Elland Road. Speaking ahead of Leeds United’s 1 – 0 win away to Reading on Sky Sports (Live EFL Football, 26/11/19, 19:30-22:15) last night, former Leeds United midfielder Michael Brown more or less said that Phillips was ready for the Premier League right now:
“He needs to be in the Premier League, and I’m sure there will be people sniffing around him in January. Leeds need to keep hold of him, which I’m sure they can with where they are in the league, and then in the summer can he get in that Premier League and get playing week in and week out is what he needs to do, this kid has got everything”.
My only concern with what Brown is saying, because he is absolutely spot on with what he says. The fact that he is second in WhoScored.com’s overall ratings for the Championship, and is second in the division when it comes to tackles per game (via WhoScored), shows that he is essentially too good for this division.
But it’s words like these that add to the ‘now or never’ narrative that has followed Leeds United around since the end of last season.
Brown talks about clubs sniffing around Phillips and how he believes that Leeds will be able to keep hold of him in January and help the promotion push, but what happens if that promotion push falls short? Do we think that the club will be able to keep hold of Phillips for the second consecutive summer, after the reports of him moving in the previous window?
The narrative surrounding Phillips seems to be that he is going to be in the Premier League next season, be it with Leeds United or with someone else.
If Leeds Blow Promotion Again, Would You Begrudge Phillips His Premier League Shot?
Yes
No, He Was Loyal Enough
Don't Be Daft, Lightning Won't Strike Twice - He Stays
That’s really the true meaning of ‘now or never’, and that’s why this upcoming window is so important, because one slip up could leave them not only missing out on promotion, but also risk losing out on Phillips altogether.