According to the Daily Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Phillips is ‘on the brink’ of joining Ipswich on a season-long loan deal. With four more years left to run on his City deal, it’s still unclear what the future holds for the £21m-rated midfielder but the deal to move to Portman Road will give him the chance to play regularly for the first time since leaving Leeds United in 2022.
However, he would be unlikely to feature from the start for Ipswich against Liverpool at the weekend should he sign in the next day or two. He failed to come off the bench during City’s Community Shield triumph against Manchester United last weekend but he did play across every City pre-season game including 90 minutes against Barcelona and 86 minutes against Chelsea. However, it remains to be seen if he can recreate the form he showed that made him so revered at Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa and Gareth Southgate with England.
In terms of how it affects City’s strength, Pep Guardiola wouldn’t have any backup for Rodri in defensive midfield which could tempt them into a late-market move potentially. Whoever would arrive would have to play second-fiddle to the Spaniard but it’s clear they would get minutes due to the amount of games ahead of them this season with an extended Champions League campaign and Club World Cup.
Liverpool head into the weekend’s game ready to kick off the Arne Slot-era as his Premier League journey begins with a tricky away trip. Ipswich secured automatic promotion last season alongside Leicester City and boasted a strong record at home; they lost just one of their 23 home games, winning 16. They also scored the most goals at home but, most notably, they conceded the joint-20th most at home with 32 which will give Slot’s men hope of getting off to a positive start.
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