Heartbroken Leeds United fans are all saying the same thing as Kalvin Phillips signs for Ipswich Town

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Former Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips has completed a season-long-loan move from Manchester City to Ipswich Town.

Phillips has joined Leeds’ 2023/24 automatic promotion rivals in an attempt to get his career back on track after a torrid two years since leaving Elland Road.

This is the second time Phillips has left City on loan since joining from Leeds for around £42 million in 2022, as he spent the second half of last season at West Ham United.

The 28-year-old will be hoping this loan spell goes a whole lot better than at the Hammers, where he endured a dismal time of it.

In Ipswich, he will be joining a club likely to be fighting relegation, but who are on a huge upwards trajectory and his Premier League experience could be vital.

• READ MORE: Leeds United have already made attempt to sign former Manchester United attacker this summer

Leeds fans react as Phillips joins Ipswich

As Leeds fans watch the team that went so close to promotion last season get torn apart, watching Ipswich splash their Premier League cash makes it all the more difficult.

Seeing a modern icon of the club in Phillips then join them simply rubs salt into the wounds, with one supporter describing the move as an absolute ‘gut punch’ after a torrid 48 hours.

Another said: “Insult to injury Phillips on his way to Ipswich. Wow how things have changed here at Elland Road in the last 12 months. Something very wrong going on.”

Following on from Phillips’ move, one fan was particularly reflective of how it has all gone so wrong since the ninth place finish under Marcelo Bielsa, with Archie Gray, Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville all accompanying him in the Premier League.

Another supporter couldn’t hold back his anger: “@LUFCTickets Wow the PR team and @49ers have played a blinder with this. @LUFC make me sick at times and I may have a slight hunch that it may be rather frosty. Now Kalvin’s off to Ipswich to rub more salt on – jeez what a day to be a Leeds fan.”

It’s fair to say the 49ers have some serious work to do in the coming weeks to get supporters back onside this season.

• READ MORE: How much Leeds will have to pay Hoffenheim after agreeing to sell Georginio Rutter to Brighton for £40m

Phillips could easily have been at Leeds this season

Clearly Phillips’ stock has dropped dramatically since leaving Leeds, and so either a promoted club or relegation battler like Everton was all he could expect this summer.

But had Leeds been a little better in August or April, or even in the play-off final at Wembley, it could’ve been here where Phillips was playing this season.

Leeds had actually been keen to sign Phillips had they gone up, even reaching an agreement in principle to make it happen.

Unfortunately, though, those are the fine lines in football and now Leeds will have to watch him in action for the team who pipped them to second.