Everton are exploring the possibility of signing the Manchester City midfielder

Everton need to be creative this summer with tight financial flexibility to sign additional players to the squad. According to Athletic, Everton are exploring a move for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

The 28-year-old Englishman moved to Manchester City after several successful years leading the Leeds midfielder as a defensive anchor. However, since the move, Phillips has made just 31 appearances over two seasons. This season, he was loaned to West Ham in January and appeared in 10 matches.

With rumors swirling daily of Amadou Onana’s possible departure, Phillips can help ease that loss and not have the burden of playing every game in that role. Everton still have Idrissa Gueye who has had a great season and will continue to be that defensive player in front of the back line.

The question here is the status of Phillip’s body and mind given how little he has played in recent years. A quality player is still there but manager Sean Dyche will have to get him out if Phillips comes to Merseyside. In my mind, Everton need to act quickly if they are ready to bring in Phillips so they can have a busy summer with their staff and squad.

Another issue at hand is the high wages of Phillips, who earns £150,000 a week, which is surely too much for Everton to even cover half of next season. It is assumed that Everton will not try to sign him on a permanent deal either, so they need to tread lightly in this situation and not overpay.

During Phillip’s limited loan spell at West Ham, he showed a bit of what he did for Leeds and England. An 83rd percentile and 75th percentile in passes attempted and completions highlight his ability to be a key player in the build-up. 2.55 tackles per 90 put him in the 85th percentile in defensive tackles.

These numbers are from limited playing time (600-700 minutes) but give a glimpse of what he can provide if put in the right positions. In Everton’s current set-up, Phillips would be one of two central midfielders.

If Everton can secure a low-cost loan with Phillips, it may be worth the risk of his lack of minutes. If anyone can get him fully fit and fit again, it’s Sean Dyche anyway.