Daniel Farke is plotting to win promotion from the Championship at the second time of asking after his Leeds United side fell short at the final hurdle last season.
The Whites were beaten 1-0 by Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley and have started the current campaign with two wins and two draws from their first four matches.
Farke has never gone more than two seasons without winning promotion from the Championship, after winning the division two times in three campaigns during his time with Norwich City.
The German head coach will be hoping to maintain that impressive record by helping his team to fire their way back to the Premier League this term, with the likes of Wilfried Gnonto and Mateo Joseph spearheading the attack.
Ethan Ampadu is captaining the side at the base of the midfield and has started all 50 of Farke’s regular Championship matches since the start of last season.
The manager clearly trusts the defensive midfielder and the player in his position was also crucial the last time that Leeds won promotion to the Premier League, as Kalvin Phillips was developed into a fantastic asset for the Whites under Marcelo Bielsa.
Kalvin Phillips' value when Marcelo Bielsa arrived
The Argentine head coach was appointed in the summer of 2018 and the academy graduate had already played two full seasons of Championship football.
Phillips had racked up 33 appearances during the 2016/17 campaign and 41 in the 2017/18 season before Bielsa was brought to Elland Road.
After those two campaigns, Transfermarkt placed his market value at €5m (£4.2m) from February 2018 to September 2018, which covers the time of the manager’s arrival.
The central midfielder had already established himself as a regular in the middle of the park for Leeds after coming up through the academy set-up at Thorp Arch, as shown by his 74 Championship games in the previous two seasons.
Bielsa, though, was able to take Phillips to the next level. The English ace later admitted that he “wasn’t the best” when the Argentine coach came through the door and that his and his staff’s coaching “helped a lot”.
It was revealed that the players were made to train at 100% every day and that they were also made to watch videos of their performances to see where they went wrong and how to improve.
He became a staple of the manager’s team over the subsequent two Championship seasons and his soaring market value in that time reflects his improvement during that period.
Kalvin Phillips' soaring market value in the Championship
The English whiz played a crucial role in Leeds’ run to the play-off semi-finals in the 2018/19 campaign after they finished third in the division in Bielsa’s first season, finishing just shy of Sheffield United and Norwich City in the automatic promotion places.
Phillips started 42 of the club’s 46 regular season matches in the second tier and showcased his quality in and out of possession for the Whites, with 4.0 tackles and interceptions combined per game.
He ranked within the top 30% of midfielders in the division for progressive passes per 90 (4.99) and the top 8% for passes attempted per 90 (65.22), which shows that the young gem was constantly looking to get on the ball to dictate the play, whilst also being progressive with his passes.
The right-footed battler was then instrumental in helping the team to finally get over the line by winning the Championship title in the 2019/20 campaign under Bielsa, with his fantastic performances in the middle of the park.
Appearances
37
Key passes per game
1.8
Tackles per game
2.6
Interceptions per game
1.4
Duel success rate
54%
As you can see in the table above, Phillips – once again – provided a steely presence in midfield for Leeds with 4.0 tackles and interceptions per game.
He also ranked within the top 21% for progressive passes per 90 (5.48) and this shows that Bielsa helped him to increase his output when it came to progressing the ball forward.
By April of the 2019/20 campaign, Transfermarkt placed his market value at €12m (£10m) thanks to his superb displays in the second tier to help his team win promotion to the top-flight.
How Kalvin Phillips earned his big-money move
Following the title win in the 2019/20 season, it was up to Phillips – and his teammates – to show that he was up to the task of playing in the Premier League.
That is exactly what he did as the talented maestro made his England debut in September 2020 and caught the eye with his performances in the top-flight.
Appearances
29
Key passes per game
1.2
Pass accuracy
85%
Tackles + interceptions per game
4.2
Duel success rate
52%
As you can see in the table above, Phillips maintained his strong defensive form from the Championship with 4.2 tackles and interceptions per game to consistently cut out opposition attacks and win the ball back for his side.
The central midfielder’s displays were good enough to convince Gareth Southgate to make him a regular in the England side that reached the European Championship final in the summer of 2021, as he started seven matches – including the defeat to Italy in the final at Wembley.
Phillips, who was called a “monster” by Yannick Bolasie at the Euros, then endured an injury-hit campaign for Leeds as he missed 16 matches with a hamstring injury and only made 20 appearances in the Premier League that term.
That did not stop Manchester City from swooping in to sign him for a reported fee of £45m, with £42m guaranteed, in the summer of 2022, though, and that gigantic figure illustrated his incredible rise under Bielsa, who left the club in February of that year.
The England international’s value soared by a staggering 971% from the £4m he was worth in 2018 upon Bielsa’s arrival to the £45m that Pep Guardiola’s side offered to sign him four years later, which speaks to the amazing work the Argentine coach did with him.
As you can see in the chart above, his valuation went as high as £42m on Transfermarkt, £3m shy of the fee City agreed, and it currently sits at £21m, with the midfielder on loan at Ipswich Town this season, which suggests that the Whites struck gold with the deal they agreed in 2022.
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