West Ham United’s deal to sign Kalvin Phillips could rank as one of the worst loan signings in Premier League history following a nightmare start to life at London Stadium.
After warming the bench at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City released Phillips from his misery, and David Moyes was more than happy to offer him a safe haven.
However, Moyes’ push to sign Phillips has blown up in his face in spectacular fashion as the England international hits new lows with every passing fixture.
The 28-year-old hadn’t started a Premier League game since May before joining the club, and he has looked painfully off the pace since he swapped Manchester for London.
Phillips has already cost West Ham dearly numerous times this season, especially during games against Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United.
The Newcastle defeat was particularly painful, considering the Hammers held a comfortable 3-1 lead heading into the final knockings of the contest – until Phillips entered the fray.
The ex-Leeds United ace had an awful cameo, giving away the penalty that sparked Newcastle’s comeback before allowing Harvey Barnes skip past him with ease for the winner.
Phillips’ stats in a West Ham shirt makes for grim reading. In seven Premier League starts this season, he boasts a 79% pass completion rate, 0.5 interceptions, and 0.4 clearances per match.
That’s aside from winning 41% of his ground battles while averaging a meagre 27.5 touches per match. He has also committed two errors leading to goals and was sent off in the 2-0 defeat to Forest in February.
Moyes continues to back Phillips and has called for the fans to throw their weight behind him, but the Englishman has been a shadow of his former self since departing Leeds United.
Speaking to the BBC, West Ham stalwart Michail Antonio put Phillips’ nightmare start to life in London down to a lack of confidence.
However, Phillips is running out of time to win the hearts of the Hammers faithful.
Since the horror show against Newcastle, he has not played in the last two games against Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
West Ham have done well in his absence, earning a draw against Spurs and securing a comeback victory at Molineux, so he must regain the manager’s trust to get back into the team.
There’s no denying he could do with some support, particularly from the fans, but he needs to up the ante sooner rather than later.
