Guardiola’s big mistake: Man City knew Kalvin Phillips was wrong fit immediately

Friday morning saw Kalvin Phillips finally unveiled as a West Ham United player, potentially ending his Man City hell.

For now, the England international is only on loan at the Hammers, though it’s believed there is the opportunity for the East Londoners to make any deal permanent should the loan arrangement prove to be a successful one.

Pep Guardiola will surely be hoping so, with The Athletic (subscription required) noting that the Catalan had realised his mistake in signing Phillips almost immediately.

The suggestion from the outlet is that the now 28-year-old was incapable of understanding the intricacies that Guardiola demanded of his holding midfielder, and allowing Romeo Lavia to leave was also seen as a big mistake as a result.

Clearly, the reality of the situation at that early stage was that Guardiola had a player who, he had decided, was not up to the task set before him, and was therefore unable to be used to any great degree – hence the lack of appearances for the reigning Premier League champions.

It goes to show that even the best-in-class aren’t susceptible to making mistakes.

To both Guardiola and Phillips’ credit, however, the situation has always been dealt with in an honest and professional manner.

West Ham have now given the player the opportunity of writing a different story at the London Stadium.