Kalvin Phillips' nightmare Man City career: £7m per start, overweight claims and an inevitable January exit

Kalvin Phillips' transfer to Manchester City made perfect sense in the summer of 2022. The midfielder had honed his playing style under Marcelo Bielsa, one of Pep Guardiola's coaching mentors, at Leeds United, and become an England regular after playing a key role in the Three Lions' success at the European Championship.

The £42 million ($53m) transfer fee was not small but not wildly expensive either for an England international who already had plenty of Premier League experience, and it was expected that Phillips would have a short adaptation period before locking down a regular place in Guardiola's winning machine.

But instead, Phillips' time at City has been a huge ordeal for everyone involved. The 28-year-old has made just six starts in all competitions in 18 months, averaging out at £7m per appearance in Guardiola's line-up. And he has not shone in any of them, with City losing half of the matches he has started. The player's stock has taken an almighty tumble, although he is still a member of Gareth Southgate's squad and expected to go to Euro 2024, to the chagrin of many fans.

The move has also been difficult to digest for City. The club pride themselves on their transfer activity, only making a signing to address an urgent need in the squad and when it suits them long-term. Phillips has simply not fit within Guardiola's vision for his team and, as he leaves to join West Ham on loan, he will go down as one of the worst signings the serial-winning coach has ever made.

As Phillips' stay with City ends - at least temporarily - GOAL charts the midfielder's nightmare 18 months at the Etihad Stadium...