Kalvin Phillips on loan is a great signing. He hasn’t just suddenly turned to ****. Moyes is the enemy of football so I imagine he struggled going from Pep to that dinosaur. I assume McKenna will get the best out of him, sadly. He’s one I would have loved here. A pivot of Phillips/Downes would be unreal.
Well no because he struggled at City as well. Pep didn't trust him. Personally I think the last few years have taken their toll and he'll never be the player he was at Leeds again.
He’s definitely an upgrade for them so it’s not good news for us. We weren’t linked but I find it hard to believe he wouldn’t be better than anyone else in our midfield, Downes included
It's a very difficult comparison to make since both haven't played much football in the Prem over the last two seasons. All we know is that neither were considered good enough for Moyes/West Ham.
I agree with this. I think this was even a discussion point on this or the other forum when there was bit of panic over seeing Downes in West Ham training pictures and claims the new manager might want him and instance from the fans that they at least did. Someone somewhere floated Phillips. Back then I feel like the reaction was mostly negative.
I think I’d rather us spending 18m on a player we know works for us than “someone else” given our recent catastrophic signing history
Ok no Prem experience to date, but think Downes is the real deal. When I think of transition to Prem, I don’t worry about Downes. The team yes!
If Phillips can regain half the form that saw him get a move to City/play for England in whatever tournament it was where he was good then it’s a fantastic signing. If he can’t then he’s still better than their midfield last year so it’s a no brainer for Ipswich really.
The thing with Phillips is that his wages are probably double anyone else at Ipswich - a lot, lot more in many cases. That comes with its own risk not inly in terms of justifying outlay but also in terms of future contracts etc. West Ham also paid a reported loan fee of £7m for him last season and he won't stick around for the Championship so there's a fair bit of risk for me. Downes, THB, BBD, Sugawara are all players I expect not only to perform well at PL level but also don't present that problem. What business we have done, we've done well - it's just we all recognise it's not likely enough to keep us up (at the moment).
I would say that perhaps THB wouldn’t want another championship season after this. But he might not have takers if we have a bad defensive campaign. Players get pinched from relegated clubs all the time - but it’s not often goalkeepers or central defenders unless they truly stand out (think Rotherham goalkeeper)
It’s good that someone is more relaxed! I think they’re unusually sensible signings, but we all know we need more. I wait with baited breath at LTLs Saad feedback!
I am not sure about this. Normally the goalkeeper at the bottom of the league has great stats. So many shots to save puts them in the shop window. The only counter example I can think of is whoever finished bottom year before last. They had a terrible keeper with the worst stats in the league. He was no better in the Championship either...
From my St Pauli mate: St Pauli fans love him. Apparently the new trainer plays a system that he doesn’t fit in. If we could get him, that would be a good purchase. He‘s young, strong and fast WITH an end product.
Will see if it works out for Ipswich with Burnley’s keeper. Think Sheffield United and Luton kept theirs. All talk of takers for Meslier died pretty quickly when Leeds sank. He was linked with Man United at one point
