Kalvin Phillips is aware that Ipswich Town don’t usually sign players of his pedigree.
The Blues, who were playing League One football just over a year ago, have signed the England international on a season-long loan as they continue to build their squad for the Premier League.
Even by the standards of a newly-promoted side, the signing of Phillips is seen as a major statement. The midfielder revealed what tempted him to make the move to Suffolk for the 2024/25 campaign.
“It’s just been conversations, really, with players who’ve played here,” he told Town TV. “Leif [Davis], Ben Johnson, and obviously then I got in touch with the manager and spoke to him.
“I’ve heard a lot about him and the way that he plays football, it’s very attractive.
“It was just one of those things, a decision that I wanted to make to come here and play his way of football and experience it with some of my friends.
“I spoke to Mark [Ashton] as well. Mark played a big part in it and I think I’ve kicked him out of his house already because he said he wanted to rent it out to me!”
Davis, Johnson and Ashton aren’t the only ones to reach out to Phillips. A global superstar made a special call to the 28-year-old just before he sat down for his interview.
“Ed Sheeran,” he revealed with a chuckle. “I’m a massive fan, to be fair, and I met him before once at the Euros. It was a good night then and I was equally as happy to see him again.”
Davis and Johnson played with Phillips at Leeds United and West Ham, so they know what he's like on and off the field. He admitted that the bulk of his conversations with those two were about what life in Suffolk is like.
“It was more about me wanting to know about how this place works, how it is, the living situation around here and the weather as well,” he explained. “That’s a major factor for me because I’m from up north, where it’s not too pleasant!
“Keeping those connections with players from other teams is important – especially Leif, I’ve been friends with Leif for a number of years now and he’s one of my good friends.
“I met Ben last year when I was at West Ham and we have a good relationship as well.
“We had very good conversations and they persuaded me to come as well.
“They said the area is lovely. It’s not as busy as Leeds, Manchester or even London, but it’s a lovely area and you get great weather, so I’m looking forward to that.”
On the pitch, Ipswich caught Phillips’ eye early on. Last season, the Blues were engaged in a fierce promotion battle with Leeds, his boyhood club. At the time, he may have been disappointed to see Daniel Farke’s men miss out on a top-two finish and falter in the play-offs, but he was encouraged by the success Town had in their first season back in the Championship.
“I followed them quite a lot last year because obviously I’m a Leeds fan, so I followed Leeds quite a lot as well,” he said. “The battle between them to try and get promoted was very exciting.
“I watched a lot of games because of Leif and I love how they played. It was very free-flowing. I love the story as well, coming from League One, getting promoted from League One and then, the next season, getting promoted again.
“I think it’s a great story and a lot of the players here can be very proud of what they’ve done.”
Above all, the style of play has attracted the neutral. It’s something that a number of Ipswich’s new signings have spoken about so far this summer, and while manager Kieran McKenna is aware that he’ll have to make some tweaks, he still wants them to keep their core characteristics, which excited Phillips.
“The style of football is very attractive, it’s just easy going on the eye,” he detailed. “I know that they like to have possession.
“It’s going to be a lot more difficult in the Premier League, but I think they’re a team that love being in possession, love being on the ball, love playing football and playing out from the back. They express that very well.
“Watching throughout the whole season last year with how well they did, I don’t think they were one of the teams that I was planning on going to straight away, but as soon as I knew they were coming up, I knew it was a chance for me to reunite with Leif and play here.
“I’ve been at Man City for a couple of years now and not played as much. They’re kind of the pinnacle of how beautiful football can be and I think Ipswich are on the right lines, especially with the manager. He’s had great success with this team and improved it a lot as well.
“There are a lot of players here who played in League One and they deserve to be here because of how well they’ve performed and how hard they’ve worked.
“It’s very easy on the eye. It’s hard to explain but when you watch a team and see how they play football, how they like to express the way that they play, it’s very easy to just fall in love with it.”
The test will be whether or not Town can make the step up. Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton were all promoted from the Championship in 2022/23 but suffered an immediate relegation from the Premier League last season.
Phillips’ Leeds side managed to establish themselves in the top flight after securing a top-two finish, albeit briefly, and he believes that Town can learn from them heading into this campaign.
“The experiences with Leeds, they’re going to be memories that I’ll never forget with people I’ll never forget as well,” he explained.
“They’re unbelievable memories. We went on a really good run. The season before we got knocked out in the play-offs, which was really tough, so we had our setbacks but we came back really strong and ended up getting promoted.
“Then in the Premier League, we did really well in the first year. I think we caught a few teams by surprise with how good we were and how fit we all were.
“I think that’s the case with Ipswich. I think they’ll catch a few teams by surprise with how well they play and how good the players are.”
Now, all eyes turn to this Premier League campaign. The goal for Ipswich is crystal clear, but Phillips wants to find his feet and get back to his best after tough spells at Manchester City and West Ham.
“For me personally, I just want to play as many games as possible and enjoy football again, which I’ve struggled to do in the last couple of years,” he admitted.
“Just speaking for the team, we want to try and win as many games as possible, but also enjoy the experience and enjoy every second of it. You never know how long it’s going to last.
“I obviously try to play football with a smile on my face, and footballers are always happier when they’re playing football. To have some close friends around me while I’m doing that, and to be in a nice area, it’s always a lot better.”
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