Everton can see £10m bid accepted for PL “machine”

Everton have turned a corner under the management of David Moyes. Despite having struggled with a depleted squad over the past couple of months, the Toffees have maintained their position as outsiders in the race for European football.

Only four points behind fourth-place Liverpool after 22 matchweeks in the Premier League, and after losing key personnel throughout this wintry spell, Everton are in a strong position indeed, especially if they bring a transfer target over to the Hill Dickinson before the end of the month.

Moyes wants a striker, with numerous goalscorers earmarked and considered throughout the month. However, the Scottish coach is aware that reinforcements might be needed in the centre of the park, too.

Everton learn asking price for Prem midfielder

It is a testament to Everton’s durability that they have survived the past stretch of football without Idrissa Gueye at the heart of the pitch. The 36-year-old is a tough-tackling menace of a midfielder, still fit as a fiddle and with a 62% duel success rate in the Premier League this term (Sofascore).

Merlin Rohl, too, is showing why Everton made their move last year. What a shrewd addition. But the cream of the crop has to be James Garner, whose performances this season have drawn plenty of praise from pundits and fans, richly deserving of his bumper new deal on Merseyside.

Gueye is the perfect counterpoint to the 24-year-old, but he’s 36, fit as he may be, and he’s out of contract at the end of the campaign.

Perhaps that’s why Everton are sniffing around for Kalvin Phillips, who continues to languish on the sidelines at Manchester City.

According to Sports Boom, the Merseysiders are prepared to wage a transfer battle with Leeds United for the England international this month, with Pep Guardiola willing to cash in for a £15m fee.

Phillips is eyeing regular game time after several testing years, and while a return to Elland Road might appear romantic, Moyes presents a compelling project in Liverpool, with stability and a style that the 30-year-old could dovetail into.

Alongside Garner, he could be a star, and with City seemingly eager to part with their botched big-money signing, this chance might be too good to pass up.

Why Phillips could be Garner’s perfect partner

Phillips has been out of sorts for a while, and it’s clear that his move to Manchester City proved detrimental for his career, even as it fattened up his trophy cabinet.

But under Marcelo Bielsa’s wing at Leeds, Phillips emerged as one of the most effective midfield generals in England, bounding into Gareth Southgate’s England set-up and becoming a mainstay alongside Declan Rice, starting every match as the Three Lions reached the final at Euro 2021.

Phillips might have won silverware at the Etihad Stadium, but he’s only played 32 times for the dominant English outfit. It’s been said to see, and his chances of forging a successful end to his stint at the club are nominal.

Indeed, to look at Phillips’ metrics in the Premier League over the past few years would be negligible. He’s been on the fringes and miserably at that.

But Phillips was hailed during his time with the Whites, with The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell even calling him a “machine” of a midfielder, whose tackles were strong and passes were crisp and decisions were intelligent, calculated.

Across the 2020/21 campaign, after Leeds had been promoted to the Premier League with Phillips in the middle, he showed that he can perform to a high standard. Indeed, his performances were so strong that Pep’s City ended up forking out £45m for his services.

That duel-winning, ground-covering version of Phillips would be exactly what Everton need over the coming months, especially with a dynamic partner such as Garner controlling and creating next to him.

He still has the talent in his locker to impress alongside a vibrant force such as Garner. Last season, on loan with imperilled Ipswich Town, he averaged 1.8 tackles and one interception per Premier League game.

Sadly, his short stints with Ipswich and West Ham United over the past few seasons have failed due to wider instabilities at the clubs. At Everton, he would find a coherent and fluent outfit, somewhere he could fit into like a glove.

Phillips is not a fresh new voice in the English game anymore, but he’s certainly shown that he can throw down with the heaviest hitters in the Premier League in the past, and Everton could seal a bargain here, landing a midfielder who is desperate to return to form.

With Garner beside him, and Gueye ahead of him in the pecking order to draw experience and teachings from, the Leeds-born talent could end up proving an excellent signing for a stable and burgeoning Everton team.

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