Given he came through the club’s academy, Leeds United’s return to the Premier League perhaps means more to Kalvin Phillips than most.
The 25-year-old has proven to be a vital cog in the Whites’ midfield over the past few years, playing well over 200 times now.
But while he was already playing first-team football before Marcelo Bielsa brought his magic to Elland Road, it was the Argentine who has really helped step his game up.
Phillips has been a cornerstone of Leeds’ impressive displays in the top-flight this season, featuring 21 times in the competition, with the only games he’s missed being a result of injury.
It’s no surprise that plenty of people have raved about Phillips’ progress under Bielsa’s direct management, with even Neil Redfearn quick to give him his dues just last year.
The former Whites boss said: “Leeds create overloads all over the field. Bielsa is very clever with that but Kalvin is key to it. He is the perfect build for that position, a powerful player but also has a fantastic range of passing.
“When he was younger, we used to have him as a box-to-box player who would score plenty of goals. Bielsa has made Kalvin an expert deep-lying midfielder but he could do both roles.”
Not only has Phillips grown into an England international under Bielsa’s leadership, but his market value has risen up considerably too.
When the Argentine took over as Leeds boss back in the summer of 2018, replacing Paul Heckingbottom in the dug-out, Phillips was only rated at £4.5m by Transfermarkt.
But gradually over time, that has gone up, before really spiking thanks to the Whites’ promotion to the Premier League – his value now stands at an impressive £24m, which is actually good enough to rank him as Leeds’ most valuable player right now, even ahead of summer signing Raphinha (£22.5m).
Being the man to guide Leeds back to the promised land of the Premier League will forever etch Bielsa’s name into folklore at Elland Road, but the instrumental role he has played in Phillips’ career has been just as big of a win in his book.
Meanwhile, Leeds must reignite their interest in this star…