Ipswich Town: All you need to know about Kalvin Phillips

Phillips' family have done a lot to support his career in football (Image: PA)

Started from the bottom

Phillips’ early years weren’t easy, having grown up in Leeds with three siblings. He’s regularly praised his mum, who often went without food to ensure her children were fed.

"We used to live in a three-bed house, me and my brother upstairs in bunk beds, my little sister and older sister in the other bedrooms and my mum used to sleep on the sofa downstairs," he told the Times.

“I used to get free school meals. I’d see kids coming in with packed lunches, having sandwiches and chocolate bars.

"Some kids would laugh at me, saying, ‘You’re getting free school meals.’ I’d come home and say, ‘Mum, why can’t I have a packed lunch?’ ‘We can’t afford it,’ my mum explained.

"There have been times where my mum didn’t eat at night because she had to feed us. My mum worked two jobs to make enough money to feed us. Grandma would chip in for food.”

Speaking about his father, Phillips said: “He’s been in and out my life since when I was young.

“He’s been in prison, out of prison. He got into the wrong crowd, drugs, fighting, anything you can name. I look at the background of my dad. My dad wasn’t brought up in the best situation. He never knew his father really.

"He got the name ‘Chalky’ because he was the only black guy in his school and in his neighbourhood. A lot of people still now call him ‘Chalky’. It’s crazy. He had a kid at 13, my step-sister, we’re very close.

“He and my mum had a relationship where they were OK for a certain point and then my dad would go off and just do whatever he did. My mum would lose patience with him and then my dad would go into prison, come back out, come back to my mum and then do exactly the same thing."

"I drive past him every morning. I’ve been to see him a few times but I don’t like going in there and seeing him in prison. I’d rather speak over the phone. I speak to him every couple of weeks.

"He is proud of me. He’s Leeds. He’s lived in Leeds all his life. He rang me a couple of weeks after we’d been promoted [last season], and said, ‘Listen to this.’ All the people who were waiting for a phone call in prison were there, all singing Marching on Together, banging on the walls.”

The midfielder played his best football under Marcelo Biela at Leeds United (Image: PA)

Developing under Bielsa

Phillips played for local club Wortley from 2003 to 2010, joining Leeds at the age of 14. He progressed through the youth ranks and signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2014, becoming captain of the development and under-18 teams. He was named in the first-team squad for the first time a few months later and made his debut against Wolves on April 6th, 2015.

He quickly became an important player for the Whites, but he reached a new level under Marcelo Bielsa, who was appointed manager in 2018. The Argentine turned him from an attack-minded midfielder into a versatile, ball-playing anchor and an integral part of his team.

That earned Phillips the nickname ‘the Yorkshire Pirlo’. Funnily enough, Pirlo approved of the nickname, describing him as ‘a bit of a regista’, the role for which the Italian is highly regarded himself.

Bielsa was a huge fan of him throughout his four years at Elland Road, saying: "He's very good at getting the ball and putting it into another space, a better space. He's very good when he has to cover the team when our full-backs go in attack. And when we are outnumbered, he is very good with his defending."

Phillips helped Manchester City win the treble in 2022/23 (Image: PA)

He’s won it all!

Bielsa guided Leeds to the Premier League, giving Phillips two full seasons in the top flight before he made the move to Manchester City, who signed him for a reported initial fee of £42 million in July 2022.

He made his debut the following month, but it clearly didn’t work out. Injury problems hampered his form while competition in the squad saw his minutes heavily reduced from what he was used to at Leeds, where he was the star man every week. Manager Pep Guardiola made comments that he was overweight when he returned from the 2022 World Cup, which the Spaniard apologised for two months later.

He's had a bit-part role ever since then, and while he would’ve hoped that things might’ve turned out differently, he has an honours list that would make some of the best players in the world incredibly envious. He’s won the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. That’s without even mentioning the Championship title and the Community Shield.

At 28, regular game time was always going to be the priority, however. He joined West Ham for the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, but a string of poor performances saw him lose his place in midfield. He fell out with the club’s supporters following a defeat at Newcastle United, finishing his spell in East London with just eight appearances.

Phillips has 31 England caps to his name (Image: PA)

International experience

As he continued to show his development under Bielsa, Phillips caught the eye of Gareth Southgate, who was aware that the midfielder could also choose to represent Jamaica and the Republic of Ireland at international level.

He ultimately chose England and was called up for the first time in August 2020, receiving his first cap the following month against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League. At that point, he was yet to make his Premier League debut, becoming the third player to represent the Three Lions without having done so in the 21st century.

His big break-out came the following year, when he was named in England’s squad for the delayed Euro 2020 tournament. He was regularly praised for his impressive performances and started every game for Southgate’s men, who were beaten in the final by Italy at Wembley. As a result, he was named England’s 2020/21 Player of the Year, beating Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling.

Unfortunately, as his game time at club level decreased, so did his minutes at international level. Southgate was keen to persevere with Phillips in his squad due to his unique skillset and the lack of options in defensive midfield, but he was left out of the squad for Euro 2024 despite featuring in qualifying and at the 2022 World Cup.

He has 31 England caps to his name and he'll be hoping that a good run of form for Ipswich will raise his profile as the national team eyes up a new permanent manager.

Pep Guardiola used the 28-year-old as a defender in pre-season (Image: PA)

A new role

Kieran McKenna has to rekindle Phillips’ love for football, something which he’s done with various players on numerous occasions in the past. Once that’s done, he’ll have to find out where he fits in his team.

The idea of a midfield partnership with skipper Sam Morsy is mouth-watering, but there’s a chance that he’s used as a centre-back, which Bielsa first tried during his time at Leeds. Guardiola has since implemented it too, trying it in pre-season before sending him on loan to Portman Road.

The Manchester Evening News reported that Guardiola was impressed by the way he played in defence against FC Barcelona and Chelsea earlier this month, with the 28-year-old showing a ‘surge in confidence’.

After those friendlies, the manager said: “He is a central midfielder but I said many times that Kalvin likes to see all the game in front of him.

“When he is in the middle surrounded by players, he struggles a little bit, but he helped us a lot in the last couple of games on tour. I should’ve seen that before. His confidence is back.”

McKenna adopted a 3-4-3 formation for Ipswich’s pre-season victory against OGC Nice, and there’s clearly a chance that the system could be used in the Premier League next season. Although we’ll surely get to see Morsy and Phillips running the show in midfield together, the latter could also be used in a deeper role alongside the likes of Jacob Greaves and Luke Woolfenden.