Ipswich Town have signed Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City on a season-long loan.
Our writers — experts in transfers, tactics, data and football finance — have come together to rate this summer’s senior Premier League transfers in five categories, with each aspect given a score out of 100, to reach a total score out of 500. Hence, The Athletic 500.
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The ratings are explained in more detail here (not all transfers will be rated as there may be a lack of data to support an analysis).
Below is our rating for this move.
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Tactical fit — 74/100
A look at how the player fits into his new club, using Sentient Sports’ bespoke model, explained by our tactical expert.
Phillips adds depth to Ipswich’s central midfield while receiving a chance to rediscover the form that led to his ill-fated move to Manchester City.
Ipswich might provide a good setting for Phillips to hit the heights he managed at Leeds. In his final season at Elland Road (2021-22), he excelled while dropping between the centre-backs as the sole holding midfielder and moved the ball up the pitch with his passing. Phillips attempted 9.6 long passes per 90 minutes, ranking in the top 12 per cent of Premier League midfielders, with 58 per cent accuracy. He also managed 5.2 progressive passes and 4.5 passes into the final third per 90.
Phillips regularly managed these passes while under pressure from opponents. Check out the example below from the 1-0 win over Watford in October 2021.
Defensively, Phillips tracked back well, with his 10.2 recoveries per 90 comfortably the highest in the league. Encouragingly for his new club, he averaged 3.1 tackles per 90, with 1.4 of those coming in the middle third — Ipswich won possession in that section of the pitch more frequently than any other team in the Championship last season (25.4 per game).
Phillips was aggressive when he committed to a challenge, as he shows below to snuff out a counterattack against Tottenham Hotspur.
At club level, Phillips has rarely played in a double pivot but partnered Declan Rice for England at Euro 2020. Ipswich’s system requires both central midfielders to drop back to receive the ball and then find players further up the pitch with line-breaking passes, which Phillips should be able to do.
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Phillips’ short passing can be a bit wobbly, which was evident at West Ham. Even during the 2021-22 league season, he completed 89 per cent of his 18.2 short passes, which while not poor, could certainly be better. Ipswich preferred shorter passes last season. Phillips is also not the greatest in the air or at carrying the ball, areas where Ipswich duo Sam Morsy and Massimo Luongo did well (albeit at a low volume) last season.
Overall, though, there are enough signs to suggest Phillips should be a good fit in Ipswich’s midfield.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Season rating: 54/100
Rating the player over last season, using statistics from The Athletic’s data team.
Last season was challenging for Phillips. Since joining City in 2022, he has struggled to secure a place in the starting line-up, partially due to Rodri’s dominance.
In the Premier League for City, Phillips made four substitute appearances. He also racked up 127 minutes in the Champions League, including one start against Red Star.
In January, he was loaned to West Ham. His second start came against Nottingham Forest in February, but he received two yellow cards in two second-half minutes.
Phillips played 639 minutes across both clubs but struggled to make an impact.
Gillian Kasirye
Gaming rating: 76/100
Rating the player according to Football Manager 2024’s data across current and potential ability.
Football Manager’s extensive scouting database ranks Phillips as a player capable of starting for most Premier League teams. He has a current ability rating of 149 on FM24, which ranks him ahead of Ipswich’s existing options, Luongo (123), Morsy (129) and Conor Chaplin (130).
With 73 Premier League appearances in his career, Phillips brings experience and FM’s analysts believe he can become a better player, giving him a potential ability rating of 156. This is also higher than Morsy’s 130, Chaplin’s 131 and Luongo’s 140.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Financial value rating: 60/100
A four-category summary of the player’s transfer in financial terms — and whether it makes sense for his new club
Market value — 23/25
Phillips has had some difficult seasons since leaving Leeds but at his best, he is an England international and an influential player. Manchester City had good reasons for signing him, so recruiting a player of this calibre is a coup for Ipswich.
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Squad cost — 20/25
This rating focuses on the transfer fee itself more than salary. As this is a loan deal, a high-quality player can sign without a huge outlay. However, the loan fee is not inconsequential. Ipswich will hope the outlay will be worth a season’s play.
Contract sensibility — 17/25
On one hand, Ipswich have picked up an England international knowing if they are relegated, they will not have to shoulder his wages longer term. The downside is that depending on the percentage of wage covered, he still has a higher salary than his team-mates. If he does well, they will not be able to keep him. Overall, this move is more sensible than not.
Resale value — 0/25
Yep, that’s a zero. This is a straight loan, so there is no possibility of a re-sale. No option or obligation to buy equals nil points.
Peter Rutzler
Risk or reward? 55/100
Is there a history of injury or other problems that could make this deal a bad one in retrospect? Or does the player come with a clean bill of health? Our expert takes a look.
Inevitably there are risks with this deal and Ipswich are gambling on rejuvenating Phillips’ career.
There is precedent for a big player stepping into a promoted team and thriving – just look at Ross Barkley at Luton last year. He should fit into Kieran McKenna’s team and tactically, it is a good fit.
But recent history is not encouraging. His injury history has not always been great, he suffered a troublesome shoulder problem after joining City and had a notable hamstring problem in 2021-22. He has had fitness concerns in the past too. Ipswich will want him to have put all that behind him.
The big mitigation is that this is just a loan deal, so if it does not work out, there is no major financial burden.
They will probably need this deal to succeed to beat the odds and stay up. For Phillips, after his struggles at West Ham last year, this is an important move for his career too.
Peter Rutzler
Overall rating: 319/500
(Photo: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
