Everton, under David Moyes, were often a very hard team to beat – built around being resilient and tough to play against, resulting in the Scotsman often punching above his weight with the Toffees.
Moyes’ men would finish in a commendable fifth spot two seasons on the trot under his tenure, knocking routinely on the door of European football.
This didn’t instantly evaporate from Everton’s game when Moyes upped and left for Manchester United in the wake of Alex Ferguson’s retirement, with a figure in Gareth Barry purchased who would become a feared midfielder to come against if you were playing the Toffees.
As new boss Roberto Martinez secured an impressive fifth-place finish in the Premier League rankings in his debut season in charge back in the 2013/14 campaign, Barry was seemingly the “brain” in the team, having been dubbed the club’s “most important piece of business” at the time – as per Martinez’s assistant, Graeme Jones.
The Merseysiders will hope they can land a player in the Barry mould this upcoming January transfer window, with Kalvin Phillips on the fringes at Manchester City and eyeing up a move away from the Etihad to Goodison Park.
Are Everton interested in signing Kalvin Phillips?
With iNews recently reporting that Everton and Newcastle United are battling for Phillips’ signature, Pep Guardiola has also confirmed that Phillips could well be heading out the door soon from the current Premier League champions.
The Spaniard commented on the situation in a press conference, stating that “nobody knows” what could happen regarding the former Leeds man when the transfer window swings back open in January.
Gareth Southgate also said it wasn’t an “ideal situation” regarding Phillips, with the England manager constantly having to defend selecting the midfielder for the England team despite continually being left out of Guardiola’s first-team plans at City.
Everton would have to cough up considerable amounts of cash to secure the 27-year-old not only in terms of transfer fee but also in his weekly wage, with the 5 foot 10 midfielder on £150k-per-week at the moment.
How good is Kalvin Phillips?
Referred to as a “monster” by ex Crystal Palace winger Yannick Bolasie after Phillips starred in England’s opening Euros 2020 contest – Gareth Southgate’s collective overcoming Croatia 1-0 at Wembley – Phillips is now a shadow of the robust, confident central midfielder he once was.
Phillips’ best days at club level most certainly came at Leeds United, the West Yorkshire-born footballer coming through at his hometown club and cementing himself as a key first-teamer, especially under Marcelo Bielsa.
He would go on to amass 234 appearances in total for the Whites, a proud achievement for Phillips who was adored by the Elland Road faithful throughout his time there.
It would even lead to Leeds fans affectionately nicknaming him the “Yorkshire Pirlo” for his crucial presence in the middle of the park, composed and cool on the ball but Phillips never shied away from rolling his sleeves up and putting a shift in if required.
He draws similarities to Barry – who also made the move from the Etihad to Goodison – in the fact he has transitioned into playing more as a holding player as time has gone on, a position he would perfect under Bielsa who tactically played the local lad in a more defensive role, having been dubbed the “best modern midfielder” by ex-Three Lions boss, Fabio Capello.
Moreover, he is an aggressive unit as has been seen for club and country – a recent 31-minute cameo against North Macedonia for England saw him attempt four ground duels, winning two in favour of Southgate’s team, as per Sofascore.
Everton are blessed with central midfield options – Abdoulaye Doucoure the pick of the bunch with three league goals this season – but Phillips could provide the Toffees with another excellent option centrally.
With Idrissa Gueye ageing also, fresh blood in the form of Phillips would keep the Toffees group on their toes and could take them to the next level.
As for the player himself, he could follow in the footsteps of that man Barry who won a handful of trophies at City before arriving on Merseyside to cement himself as “one of the best English players ever”, in the words of Martinez.
Perhaps a similar trajectory lies in store for fellow midfield maestro, Phillips.
