West Ham £42m flop offered Premier League lifeline at expense of Leeds United

West Ham midfielder Kalvin Phillips could be offered a Premier League lifeline by Hammers rivals Everton after his underwhelming stint at the London Stadium.

The 28-year-old spent the back half of the season on loan at West Ham but failed to impress in his 10 appearances for the club. Phillips returned to Manchester City at the end of his deal with West Ham not interested in making the move permanent.

The former Leeds United man's lack of playing time and form ultimately cost him a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2024 but the Toffees could be poised to put their faith in the midfielder. That's according to Sky Sports, with the outlet reporting that Everton could look to bring Phillips to Goodison Park on loan next season.

The player still has four years left on his deal at the Etihad Stadium, having signed for Manchester City in 2022 for £42 million. He has struggled to get into the starting XI under Pep Guardiola and appears to be deemed surplus to requirements at the Champions.

After his failed West Ham loan, Phillips was linked with a move back to former club Leeds United. However, the Whites lost the Championship play-off final last weekend and are set to spend another year in the second tier, which has boosted Everton hopes of being Phillips' most favourable option.

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The Toffees could lose Amadou Onana this summer with transfer interest in the midfielder's services, but could struggle to convince Manchester City to part with Phillips on another loan deal, rather than cashing in on the player.

Phillips' time at West Ham came to a sour end when he appeared to be spotted making an offensive gesture to fans following defeat at Newcastle United. At that time, former West Ham boss David Moyes said: "We need our fans to give all our players the support they require. Kalvin's a human being and what he needs is support and people to help him, which is what we'll do."