West Ham must reject ‘Top Target’

West Ham United must reject supposed ‘Top Target’ Kalvin Phillips if the recent news reports are to be believed. We all know that Declan Rice will need replacing but this constant Phillips talk is getting rather boring. There is no doubt that the England and Manchester City midfielder is a fine player. But surely West Ham can’t seriously be interested in a footballer who’s missed most of the season through injury? His football hiatus has not just occurred at City either, he was frequently absent for Leeds too. At his peak Phillips is a cracking midfielder and England regular but he’s earning a fortune at Man City. As a result it would cost The Hammers a pretty penny to get him to agree terms with us. Add in the £40 million plus transfer fee and the deal becomes very pricey indeed.

Mustn’t waste Declan money

Clearly there are funds available and I’d expect West Ham to spend big on a midfielder, but ideally a fit one. Even if West Ham spend half of the Rice money it’s a massive chunk to spend on one player. We can fork-out £50 million on a midfielder but they have to be available to play. Perhaps it’s just lazy journalism, but it seems as if Phillips name is churned up every time Dec’s replacement is mentioned. George Graham once said. “Never buy a player who thinks he’s doing you a favour”. West Ham’s profile and European reputation has risen so much that we don’t need to purchase cast-off’s. Perhaps that’s a slightly mean appraisal of Phillips who is a talented player but I’d be inclined to give him a swerve. Let’s purchase someone young and dynamic with their careers ahead of them. A motivated and fit player who’s not viewing The London Stadium as a step down.