Manchester City have kicked off the week with a bang after they confirmed the signing of Leeds United midfielder, Kalvin Phillips.
It is thought that Phillips, who joins on a six-year deal, only cost City around £45 million - which doesn’t seem that much given the importance of the 26-year-old to the Whites over the past few years.
However, what makes this move so much harder for both Phillips and the Leeds faithful, is that he is leaving his boyhood club.
Born in Leeds, the midfielder made his senior debut for the Yorkshire club in 2015 and has since made over 200 appearances and established himself as a regular member of the England squad in the process.
Phillips has previously turned down opportunities to leave the club he adores, however the time has finally come for him to move on to the defending champions.
While most of the Whites’ fanbase have shown their support for Phillips, there are still many critical of his departure.
Following Phillips’ controversial transfer, we have taken a look at players that have left their boyhood clubs in the past and how they did afterwards...
1. Gary Lineker - Leicester City
Lineker joined his boyhood club in 1976 and made his senior debut two years later. The striker was the Foxes’ top scorer for four seasons in a row before he joined defending league champions Everton in 1985. Lineker went on to play for Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur and won the World Cup Golden Boot, the FWA Footballer of the Year (x2) and was a runner-up in the 1986 Ballon d’Or.
2. Sol Campbell - Tottenham Hotspur
Campbell’s departure from Tottenham is one of the most famous, when he left White Hart Lane after 12 years to join their fierce rivals Arsenal. The defender was hated by his former fans but went onto win two Premier League trophies with the Gunners.
3. Frank Lampard - West Ham United
Lampard was a West Ham fan before joining their academy in 1994 and went onto make almost 200 appearances at Upton Park. However, the midfielder often received stick from the West Ham fanbase and his departure in 2001 was a very sour one. Lampard went onto became one of the best midfielders in Premier League history and won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League with Chelsea.
4. Joe Cole - West Ham United
After spending 13 years with West Ham at the start of Cole’s career, the former England international joined Chelsea for £6.6m after he rejected a new contract with his boyhood club. Cole won three Premier League titles and two FA Cups with Chelsea and rejoined the Hammers 10 years after his departure.