Kalvin Phillips to Man City transfer gives Pep Guardiola what he had at Barcelona and Bayern Munich

If Raheem Sterling stays at Manchester City next season, there's every chance that six of England's World Cup starting XI will be playing for the Premier League champions.

Kalvin Phillips is the latest England international to sign for City, following Jack Grealish last summer and joining Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, John Stones and Kyle Walker at the Etihad. Phillips may have a fight on his hands to displace Rodri at City, but his signing does significantly strengthen a position that needed a new face after Fernandinho's departure.

And by signing another English player, Pep Guardiola is continuing a trend that gave him huge success in the past. Phillips was an unsung hero in England's run to the Euro 2020 final last year, shining in a double pivot alongside Declan Rice after just one season in the Premier League.

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He continued that form last season before injury stopped his progress, so City will be keen to see him pick up the momentum he had between 2019 and 2021.

It's a signing with plenty of positives and few negatives, helped by the fact he will be well known to City's existing Three Lions. His place in Gareth Southgate's side will surely be strengthened by moving to a Champions League club, and he will hope to be a starter in Qatar in December.

And that bodes well for England, too, because when Guardiola has taken a national team focus at previous clubs, international success has followed.

In 2010, at the height of Guardiola's achievements at Barcelona, seven of Spain's starting line-up in the World Cup final were Guardiola's players. Four years later, when Guardiola was at Bayern Munich, six of Germany's key starters were Bayern