Kalvin Phillips looking to emulate Manchester City superstar to turnaround fortunes next season
Ahead of his second season at Manchester City, Kalvin Phillips has expressed his intention to emulate fellow teammate Jack Grealish and turn his fortunes around with the Cityzens.
Phillips joined the Manchester outfit last summer for a reported fee of €49 million (via Tranfsermarkt). However, the England international managed 21 appearances across competitions. He started just two Premier League games and none in the Champions League for the Cityzens.
Mentioning his intention to emulate Jack Grealish's turning his career around in Manchester, Phillips told talkSPORT:
"I’ve known Jack for years, I’ve played against him for years and he’s very much a family man as well. Our career paths have basically taken the same step but just a year apart, and I kind of look at Jack and just think he’s my inspiration in this part."
"He had a tough first year and so did I, second year, he came out firing so I’m looking forward to getting pre-season started and hopefully, I can turn things around."
Like Phillips, Grealish had a poor start to his Manchester City career, starting 22 games in the Premier League and five in the Champions League.
However, the winger turned it around in the following campaign, where he started all of his club's knockout clashes in the Champions League. Grealish provided 11 assists and scored five goals in 50 appearances across all competitions in the 2022-23 campaign.
Manchester City's Joao Cancelo still in Arteta's plans - Reports
As per journalist Dean Jones, Manchester City's Joao Cancelo could become an Arsenal player (via Football365). The report claims that Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is interested in the Portugal international despite closing in on the signing of Jurrien Timber from Ajax.
Cancelo was sent out on loan to Bayern Munich in January this year. The right-back has reportedly been told that his career in Manchester is over (via Football 365).
However, a move to the Emirates would mean Cancelo would have to fight it out for a starting position. Cancelo would have to displace Arsenal's right-back from last season, Ben White, for starters.
Moreover, he could face competition from Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu, who can both play in the position.