Where Newcastle United failed, West Ham United have succeeded.
The Hammers are set to add a new midfielder to their squad for the second half of the season, and it is a man who Newcastle United fans believed was heading to St James’ Park for a long time.
Kalvin Phillips is set to join West Ham on loan from Manchester City, after Newcastle cooled their interest in the 28-year-old.
It did look like the England international would be signing for the Magpies this month, but they eventually walked away due to Manchester City’s demands.
They wanted a loan fee of around £5million, as well as an obligation to buy him in the summer. That was not going to work for Newcastle, but it appears that West Ham have managed to get Man City to soften their demands.
West Ham have the option to buy Kalvin Phillips in the summer
According to Fabrizio Romano, West Ham will not have an obligation to buy Phillips in the summer. Instead, their deal includes an option to buy him in June.
An option is better than an obligation, as it means that the Hammers will not be forced to splash out on the midfielder if they don’t want to. But if they do, the option is there. They have effectively manufactured a ‘try before you buy’ situation.
And that is surely a situation that would have been ideal for Newcastle. They did not want to commit to an obligation to buy Phillips, as they are already committed to spending £28million on Lewis Hall.
But West Ham have done what Newcastle couldn’t. They got Man City to lower their stance, and are now signing a player who the Magpies have been linked with all month.
Instead, the search for a new midfielder on Tyneside goes on, and it might even have to be put on hold until the summer transfer window. Eddie Howe‘s side are struggling to sign anyone right now, and the Toon boss will surely be disappointed to see one his top targets join a Premier League rival.
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