Speaking to The Athletic, Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani has been discussing Calvin Phillips following his departure to Manchester City.
The Whites sold Yorkshire Pirlo to the Premier League champions this summer, and it’s fair to say the club were somewhat upset by the loss of their home star.
Radrizzani has made it clear that he would have been happy to keep Phillips at Leeds for his entire career, noting that he could have been the next captain after Liam Cooper if he had stayed.
What was said?
Radrizzani spoke about the sale of Phillips and the possibility of the midfielder becoming a captain.
“Over time we need to get better at keeping some players, that’s not a forever strategy. In time I think we’ll be able to keep our best players and make them Leeds for life. For Calvin Phillips, it was a different situation than Ravenha, Calvin would have stayed. Phillips is here his whole life and becomes the next captain. “I didn’t want to let him go, he decided to go and it was clear to me his ambition was to play at that level,” said Radrizzani.
He would have been a great leader
It is a shame that Phillips left Leeds, as he would have been one of the club’s top captains.
Liam Cooper, of course, is a brilliant leader in his own right, but Phillips was totally Leeds.
Phillips, a local player turned good, understood the club in a way no other player really did, but unfortunately, his talents meant he was destined to join the Champions League team.
Phillips would have become a true Leeds legend if he had stayed at Elland Road for his entire career as Radrizzani said, but in the modern game having a man from one club on a team like the Leeds is incredibly rare.
In other news, the £35m star’s entourage admits the player ‘wants to go to Everton’ at the expense of rivals PL
