Leeds United's business in the transfer window before a ball was kicked this campaign looks to have paid off, the Whites getting rid of a number of players out on loan that contributed to the club being relegated down to the Championship.
Daniel Farke then managed to build a fresh and updated version of Leeds ready to kick on and immediately return to the Premier League, with new recruits such as Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, and more starring for the West Yorkshire titans now.
Leeds might well have had more money to play around with as a result of this major sale back in 2022, with the second tier outfit understandably gutted to part ways with this asset at the time but can now put it down as another excellent bit of business in retrospect.
Kalvin Phillips' career at Leeds
Losing homegrown hero Kalvin Phillips was always going to sting from a Leeds perspective, but Victor Orta being able to sell the now 28-year-old on for a handsome fee of £45m would have raised a smile again.
Transformed under the expert guidance of Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road, Phillips would bow out of West Yorkshire with 14 goals and 13 assists next to his name from 234 total appearances.
It hasn't been smooth sailing whatsoever for Phillips since leaving his boyhood employers behind, however, with Phillips never replicating his Leeds best at the Etihad Stadium under Pep Guardiola.
Loaned out to West Ham United this January to reinvigorate his faltering career after flopping at Manchester City, Leeds are watching on now knowing that it was the correct call to offload their ex-star when they did with his transfer value now nowhere near the previously hefty £45m.
Kalvin Phillips' transfer value in 2024
Phillips' transfer value has plummeted all the way down to a pitiful €16.8m (£14.3m) – according to Football Transfers – which means his value has dropped a staggering £31m in just two years, which shows that Orta played a blinder by selling him for such a fee.
The 28-year-old's nightmarish start to life with the Hammers hasn't helped his cause either, with Phillips sent off for a double booking last match away at Nottingham Forest for David Moyes' men.
Also gifting Dominic Solanke with a goal on his debut when West Ham faced off against the AFC Bournemouth earlier this month, it's no shock to see a number of pundits slam the former Leeds man's below-par performances for the Hammers so far.
Former Hammers striker Dean Ashton described Phillips' start to his West Ham career as "shocking", further stating that the ex-Leeds midfielder looked "nowhere near up to speed" when discussing the out-of-sorts 28-year-old on TalkSPORT.
The fact Leeds managed to get such an extortionate fee out of Manchester City looks like an unbelievable piece of business looking back, with the Whites more than content at having the likes of Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara in their holding roles now – both players in question costing just €12.3m combined (£10.5m).
Phillips will pray that he's just getting these underwhelming performances out of his system before he then kicks into life for Moyes' side, whilst Leeds will just aim to push on with their new crop of talent to win promotion back up to the Premier League.
Next season, Phillips and Leeds could even cross paths with the 28-year-old a shadow now of his former Whites best.
