Last season, West Ham signed Kalvin Phillips from Premier League Champions Manchester City on a six month loan transfer, to provide more squad depth to their defensive midfield. After the transfer of Declan Rice to Arsenal at the beginning of that season, the Hammers struggled to have more possession of the match and didn't create much big chances from the build up play. Therefore, Phillips was added in to play in a box-to-box midfield role, allowing Tomas Soucek and Mohammed Kudus to advance forward inside the final third.
However, the loan spell didn't go as planned and Phillips made ten appearances under former manager David Moyes and was underwhelming in his performance at West Ham. Phillips returned to Pep Guardiola's side and has joined Ipswich Town on a season long loan in this transfer window. However, the 28-year-old played a key role in convincing West Ham's new signing Cryscencio Summerville to join the Hammers in this transfer window.
Kalvin Phillips convinced new signing to join West Ham
Phillips played with Summerville at Leeds United before he joined Manchester City in 2022. When West Ham had expressed their interest in signing the Dutch winger, Phillips recommended Summerville to join the Hammers, according to a report from The Athletic, saying,
"Former Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who struggled during his six-month spell at West Ham, encouraged Summerville to join when he sought his opinion. Phillips praised staff behind the scenes, the player care team and how likeable the squad is. He stressed Summerville would have no issues settling in."The Athletic
Although Phillips didn't had a great loan spell at West Ham, he has been a great rolemodel for the young players in the squad. Now, with the signing of Summerville, West Ham have bolstered their left wing position, and now want to find a winning momentum to improve their performance in the Premier League after two defeats in three matches. Summerville will be a key player for West Ham as they face Fulham after the international break.