Leeds United opinion: Whites must surely hold onto Kalvin Phillips

According to a report in the Sun (reported by Alan Nixon on 14/04/2019), Southampton are interested in signing Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

As suggested in the report, the Whites will be resisting any offers for their first-choice defensive midfielder. They have made it clear that if they get promoted to the Premier League, no offer will be enough to lure the player away (h/t Sun).

However, if by any chance, Leeds manage to remain in the Championship, then they would hold out for something around £20million from Southampton (h/t Sun).

Here’s why Marcelo Bielsa’s men shouldn’t let go of Phillips, whether they get promoted or not:

Phillips is an important cog of this Leeds team

Phillips is a quality player who operates at such a high level, that Leeds cannot lose him. He is predominantly a defensive midfielder but has played as a centre-back when required.

At 23, he has matured himself into a thinking footballer, who rarely takes rash decisions in pressure situations. He reads the game well and makes vital tackles and interceptions (2.5 and 1.3 per game this season so far).

With Bielsa training his team to play out from the back, the role of a defensive midfielder in starting an attacking move from the base is significant. He will, more often than not, receive the first pass from the goalkeeper or either centre-backs.

Now, this is where Phillips is good. He receives the ball and delivers the next pass with utmost accuracy to start the move off. His passing accuracy has been close to 82% this season, which is pretty good for a defensive-minded player. (Whoscored)

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Conclusion

All in all, it is pretty clear how Kalvin Phillips is an important player to this Leeds United team. Therefore, they cannot let him go, even if the disaster of them not getting promoted takes place.