Will Matt Phillips sign for a Premier League club this summer?

Blackpool winger Matt Phillips could be set to leave the club in the next few weeks with a number of clubs looking to sign him.

Phillips scored 11 goals in 35 games for Blackpool last season

The 21 year old had a fantastic season last year both at Blackpool and during a loan spell with Sheffield United early in the season where he scored five goals in just six games. But, it was his performances in the Championship that are making him one of the hottest properties in the division. There is no doubt that manager Ian Holloway will want to keep him but he is a very good manager and if he thinks a player deserves a move then he will let them go at the right price. However, another year in the Championship wouldn’t do Phillips any harm and under the guidance of Holloway he could become an even better player. Six teams are heavily linked with him and they are Wigan Athletic, Reading, Sunderland, Everton, Aston Villa and Stoke City and he could do a very good job for all of this teams. But which team would he have the most success at?

I think Aston Villa could be a good move for him as they are largely underachieved last year and didn’t play to their full potential and with them likely to play 4-3-3 again next season he would easily fit into their team. A front three of Agbonlahor, Bent and Phillips would be frightening to any team as they have the pace to punish teams on the counter and would link up brilliantly. New manager Paul Lambert also likes to take young players from the Championship and give them a chance in the Premier League and most of his players at Norwich City succeeded and he has to be given a lot of praise for this.

If he is allowed to leave Blackpool then he will also have to take a look at Stoke City because they are now an experienced Premier League side and they will help him become a better player and maybe push onto the next level as he will learn a different way to play. Obviously, Stoke still have Jermaine Pennant but he didn’t seem too happy last year and could be moved on if they get in a replacement. Sometimes people are harsh on the way Stoke play but if you watch them properly they do try and get the ball wide and cross the ball which Phillips will enjoy.

Finally, out of the teams linked with him Everton are probably the best team and have the best manager in David Moyes so this will help his career and a lot of players have progressed from Everton and been sold on for a lot of money. Plus, they are always up there challenging for a place in Europe when it comes towards the end of the season so this will obviously interest Phillips. If they bring in Steven Pienaar it may be difficult for him to get in the side as Moyes likes to play Leon Osman on the wing a lot of the time and with Ross Barkley set to feature more this season he may not be guaranteed a start every week and this may put him off.

Ten years at Everton for David Moyes

David Moyes has reached a landmark that not many others do in modern day football and he deserves every bit of praise that he receives.

For 10 years he has been at Everton and has taken them to the FA Cup final and also to Champions League qualification. Who could have imagined this when he first took charge? Especially when at times in his reign he has been given very little money and had to replace players with cheaper options who he has made into very good Premier League players. Tim Cahill is one of these who owes his Premier League career to Moyes and he has served club and manager brilliantly. At the time of his signing a lot of clubs were looking at him but Moyes took a chance on him and he has repaid the faith with eight years loyal service and scoring many important goals.

Moyes became Everton manager on the 14th March 2002

Sometimes in football the stats do lie though and I believe the Scottish manager has been overlooked for arguably bigger jobs because of his win percentage which is surprisingly only 41.74%. But during this time he has got Everton into Europe on four occasions and in the last two seasons came very close to getting the team there again. But his real skill is in the transfer market, yes he hasn’t got them all right but nobody ever will, just looking at the players he has bought, when he signed them they were not necessarily household names but after a season or two they were considered some of the best in the league. Mikel Arteta is one of these who not many had heard of but he was vital in the way the team played and this led to speculation that he could leave the club which he eventually did when he joined Arsenal. Steven Pienaar is another great example of this.

He also doesn’t mind giving players a chance for example he signed Joleon Lescott and in my opinion he would not be at Manchester City if it wasn’t for the Everton manager because he took a chance on him even though he had never played a Premier League game. Leighton Baines is another, as well as Phil Jagielka. The lists just go on for him and his success far out way his disappointments in the transfer marker, even the experienced players he has brought in have made a positive impact, a lot of people may not have thought the Phil Neville signing was going to be good but his versatility has proved vital over the years and Tim Howard who was deemed a failure in the Premier League but was given another shot and he is arguably one of the best keepers in the league.

Finally, Moyes does not only rely on transfers, he is very good with the youth team, when they bring a player through he treats them right and does not let the spotlight get on them too much. When Wayne Rooney burst onto the scene it would have been easy for the pressure to get to him but Moyes didn’t allow that and I hope that Rooney realises one day how much Moyes did for him. You can add Jack Rodwell and Ross Barkley to that list as well.

It is remarkable looking back at his Everton career because there are so many positives in everything he has done but how different it could have been if he got sacked after finishing 2003-4 season in 17^th place. But the board stuck with him and well done to them too. He three time LMA Manager of the Year and eight time Premier League manager of the Month will no doubt continue to do a very good job at Everton and I also believe he is one of the reasons why Everton are a lot of football fans ‘second team’ and this cannot be a bad thing for the club on a whole.