Man City signing Kalvin Phillips will give Pep Guardiola more midfield options than ever before

In terms of the development of the Manchester City squad, the deal to sign Kalvin Phillips is a one-in, one-out kind of transfer, with the England international essentially taking the place of Fernandinho.

The deal to sign Erling Haaland is fixing a (relative) problem position for City, but Pep Guardiola is happy with the size and depth of his squad and the club's transfer business these days is generally replacing or refreshing, rather than any major cosmetic surgery.

Fernandinho's decision to leave the club at the end of last season left a place in midfield and while 18-year-old Romeo Lavia is highly thought of, City felt they needed a more experienced player to replace the iconic club captain.

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The Brazilian, who turned 37 in May, has started only 22 Premier League games in the previous two seasons, but he's still played a vital role at times, either from the start or off the bench. Without him, the workload for Rodri increases and that meant finding another player capable of filling in in that holding role was always going to be a priority this summer.

Phillips fits the bill, but the Leeds United midfielder is more of an all-rounder than the man he's replacing. Fernandinho was a classic defensive midfielder, positionally perfect and with the game intelligence to repel counterattacks and spot danger when he was at his best.

His replacement brings energy to that position, having been converted into a deeper role under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds, an education that will serve him well under Guardiola at the Etihad. He's operated in a double pivot for England as well, alongside Declan Rice.

But Phillips can also push further forward and he will give City plenty