What Harry Kane said about Tottenham target Kalvin Phillips in 2021

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Tottenham Hotspur have another Premier League midfielder on their radar, with The Telegraph reporting on Wednesday that Antonio Conte is a fan of Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

Phillips has been outstanding for a number of years at Elland Road. He was the most important member of the side during Marcelo Bielsa’s amazing tenure.

And his form for Leeds earned the 26-year-old a place in the England fold. He has been a key player for Gareth Southgate’s side, being named the England player of the year for 2021.

Of course, the highlight for the Three Lions last year was their performance at Euro 2020. They reached the final, where a penalty shootout denied them lifting the trophy.

The tournament started with a 1-0 win over Croatia. And the best player on the pitch that day was Phillips.

The £55 million-rated Yorkshire Pirlo set up the winner for Raheem Sterling with some superb work in midfield. And it was no surprise when he was named man of the match.

And amongst those to laud Phillips that day was Kane. The Tottenham talisman was full of praise for the Leeds star, particularly given that he had been injured ahead of the tournament.

“He’s been brilliant. He’s just come off the back of a shoulder injury as well, but he’s been good in training and working hard to be fit for the first game. He was selected today and done a fantastic job,” he said.

Tottenham fans saw Phillips prove himself against Kane earlier this season

Spurs won both fixtures against Leeds this term. But the first saw the Whites threaten to cause an upset as they took a lead into half-time.

And, once again, one of the best displays in that first-half came from Phillips who seemed to be tasked with marking Kane. The striker seemed to barely get any space in that time.

And it is no surprise that Leeds have struggled so much having not had Phillips for so much of the campaign.

Perhaps Spurs may now try and ensure that Leeds have to figure out what to do without him on a permanent basis from next season.