Kalvin Phillips reveals 'very close' Leeds United transfer call after Wembley heartbreak

Leeds United's 1-0 defeat to Southampton in last season's Championship play-off final had so many repercussions that it's hard to keep track of them all. In the months following that fateful day at Wembley, plans were redrawn, big names left and Daniel Farke had to re-energise his squad for another crack at promotion.

Of course it significantly impacted who the Whites could sign in the summer transfer window, with the ace card of Premier League football taken away from Leeds' bargaining power. One such deal which was then off the table was what would have been an emotional reuning with former Leeds star Kalvin Phillips.

The midfielder, still a fan favourite at Elland Road, was always going to leave Manchester City in the summer, with a loan deal to Leeds reportedly close. However, after watching on at Wembley alongside the Leeds faithful, Phillips opted to join Premier League new boys Ipswich Town - but admitted it was a tough call to make with interest from his boyhood club.

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“I went to that game and was devastated they didn’t go up," Phillips told Phillips told the East Anglian Daily Times. "Obviously I wanted Leeds to get promoted. It’s a club very close to my heart.

“Even if Leeds had been promoted and Ipswich had maybe come up in the play-offs then it still would have been a very close call as to where I’d have gone because I just love the story of Ipswich. The more I looked into the team and the manager and the club’s rebuild the more I liked.

“I’d played against a few of the boys here and I just felt like they were good people. I could tell what type of team it would be if I did come here.

“I just needed a team that was together and to be at a place where I’d enjoy coming in every single day. I wanted to play every week in a team of fighters that work really hard. It just felt like Ipswich fitted me to a tee and I still feel that way.”

Phillips has played eight times for Kieran McKenna's side this season, although will miss their game with Manchester United this weekend having been sent off for two bookable offences in their 2-1 win over Tottenham before the international break.