Kalvin Phillips' transfer admission gives Man City unexpected bonus for next six years

Most players who sign for a new club - especially a bigger one - will say how it's a dream come true and how they've always wanted to play at their new home.

Not Kalvin Phillips, who was announced as a Manchester City player on Monday. There was, of course, praise for City, for Pep Guardiola, and his new teammates including Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland. But there was also an admission that he had to be persuaded to move to City.

It might seem like a no-brainer for many players, with Champions League football and a guaranteed Premier League title challenge. For Phillips, though, it seems like the decision to leave boyhood club Leeds was far from straightforward - and that can only bode well for City going ahead.

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"I have always loved Leeds and it is all I have ever known," he said. "To come here is a big decision for me. It is a decision that took a lot of thinking about. It was just more the fact that I wanted to experience something different, how different teams work and how the fanbase works as well.”

He also quizzed John Stones and Kyle Walker on international duty about City - but more than just about the players or working under Pep Guardiola.

He explained: “They were just saying that I needed to come to City, that they are one of the best teams in the world, they have a great manager and great people around the club. Also, just the way that the club runs is totally different to other clubs. I was very intrigued when they were telling me about it and eventually it happened."

Phillips also spoke to Jude Bellingham about Erling Haaland, and referenced an intrigue into City's style of play and how he would fit in. So the fact that the