Leeds United will be extremely low on confidence heading into the Championship playoffs having succumbed to a lacklustre 2-1 defeat to Southampton on the final day.

That made Ipswich Town’s promotion via the automatic spots in the second tier a breeze against Huddersfield Town, with the Whites now having to make do with the nerves of two legs to come against Norwich City to then try and break through to the Premier League at Wembley.

Should they manage to do then it will be an exciting transfer window ahead, but not necessarily for Glen Kamara who could be replaced by one potential incoming having wobbled for Daniel Farke’s promotion-chasers of late.

Leeds going after former hero

The major transfer talk coming out of Elland Road seems to centre on a potential reunion happening involving Kalvin Phillips, who is in desperate need of resurrecting his faltering career wherever he ends up next.

Formerly a homegrown hero in West Yorkshire, Phillips’ career has fallen apart ever since he left the comforts of the Whites behind for his flashy new Manchester City location with his current loan spell at West Ham United also going disastrously.

Failing to get back to his best at the London Stadium, with just three starts managed from 12 games, reports are now pointing in the direction of the troubled 28-year-old returning home this summer.

With Fabrizio Romano confirming recently that Phillips will be offloaded by Pep Guardiola’s men, Leeds could well find themselves in the driver’s seat to win back their ex-midfielder’s signature.

Leeds will hope Phillips can roll back the years if he does return to his beloved Whites, putting the last few nightmarish years behind him by donning the familiar white strip again.

Why Phillips must replace Kamara

This potential deal could signal the end of Kamara being relied upon as a main holding midfield presence at Elland Road, with the Finland international struggling when times have been tough for Farke’s side this season.

Handed out a dire 4/10 rating by Yorkshire Post journalist Tom Coates after the final day defeat to the Saints, with Coates stating that the ex-Rangers man ‘offered little’, Kamara could find his days are numbered if a dramatic move can be reached.

Only winning one duel against Russell Martin’s men in a weak showing, Leeds could well look to Phillips as a more combative replacement for the ex-Rangers man to give the Whites more bite in the middle of the park alongside Ilia Gruev.

During his final full Premier League campaign for the Whites, Phillips was a top performer with cool displays on the ball – which saw him register five big chances created – alongside showing a mean streak by getting stuck in and aggressive when needed with ten yellow cards.

In contrast, as much as Kamara has been a slick operator at points this season for Farke in the second tier, the 28-year-old has only mustered up two big chances being created even with a composed 93% passing accuracy being averaged per 90 minutes.

Phillips’ heroics for the West Yorkshire outfit would see Marcelo Bielsa, who turned the academy product into a top talent under his guidance, label the current out-of-sorts Hammers loanee in 2021 as a “star” who was able to excel at the highest level.

Leeds will just hope if they can make this much-talked-about potential reunion reality, that Phillips isn’t a lost cause and can be a hero once more under Farke rather than flopping back at Elland Road to further tarnish his reputation.