Blues loan midfielder Kalvin Phillips expresses that he’s enjoying his time at Town after a challenging stint at Manchester City and a loan to West Ham, the opponents he faces on Saturday.
Phillips, 28, joined Ipswich Town on a season-long loan this summer to regain his playing time after struggling to secure a spot in Manchester City’s lineup following his £42 million transfer to the Etihad Stadium in July 2022.
In a recent episode of the My Mate’s a Footballer podcast, hosted by comedian Joe Wilkinson and former Leeds teammate Patrick Bamford, Phillips shared his excitement about life in Suffolk. He mentioned that he never expected to be in this situation but felt confident that manager Kieran McKenna would support him.
Phillips revealed that Leif Davis, a former teammate from Leeds, played a significant role in persuading him to make the move. “Leif was Facetiming me every day for the three weeks before I signed,” he said.
His primary goal in joining Ipswich was to get back to playing regularly and staying fit. “Just back to enjoying my football,” he added. While he loved his time at City, he found it draining to train without the prospect of playing on weekends. He acknowledged the challenge of competing for a place in the squad against top players, saying, “I knew I probably wasn’t going to play much because of the players that play in front of me.”
Phillips also discussed the impact of Pep Guardiola’s earlier comments about his fitness upon returning from the Qatar World Cup. He noted, “That narrative on social media just kind of grew and grew,” leading to frustration during his time at City.
Despite the challenges, he praised Guardiola’s tactical acumen, recalling how accurately the manager predicted the flow of a match against West Ham. “I was gobsmacked how it just worked out,” Phillips reflected.
Since joining Ipswich, Phillips has made three appearances in the Premier League, and he remains unbeaten with the team, as all three matches ended in draws.