Since being voted the English national team’s Player of the Year in 2021, Kalvin Phillips’ career has altered dramatically, and not for the better.
From starting a European Championship final and joining Manchester City for £47 million to sitting on the bench at Ipswich Town following one of the worst loan periods in current Premier League history with West Ham.
This time, Cole Palmer of Chelsea takes home the honor.
However, while Palmer did score against Spain in the Euro 2024 final and assisted Ollie Watkins’ semi-final winner against the Netherlands, few in Switzerland argued that Granit Xhaka was unworthy of the annual Swiss National Player of the Year award.
After guiding Bayer Leverkusen to a historic Bundesliga title and reaching 130 international caps, Xhaka was a fitting winner.
Renato Steffen, by the way, won the Swiss Super League’s best player title for 2024. While the FC Lugano veteran’s eight goals and 15 assists last season are impressive, Lausanne Sport coach Ludovic Magnin is perplexed as to why Alvyn Sanches’ name was not mentioned during the conversations.
Leeds continue to be linked alongside Alvyn Sanches following a sensational breakthrough season in Switzerland’s top tier.
The stylish attacking midfielder may yet leave his homeland with a far more important prize – Laussane Sport are in contention for their first league title in 60 years – but the Leeds United-linked star’s omission from the list of Player of the Year nominees leaves Magnin with a bitter taste in his mouth.
Leeds United called Alvyn Sanches “the greatest talent in Swiss football.”
“He wasn’t even nominated for the Football Awards!,” a perplexed Magnin tells Blue Win. “[I would have chosen him] and not only for one category. He couldn’t even compete for the other awards!
“For many analysts, he is the best player in Swiss football. However, this nomination appears to have been decided by people with opposing viewpoints.
“Having worked with Alvyn for almost three years, it’s legitimate for me to disagree.”
Magnin is unlikely to spend a fourth with the snake-hipped Lausanne Sport schemer. The Leeds target has already changed agents and stated that this will be his final season at the Stade de la Tuiliere.
Something Magnin is also happy to accept, knowing that Sanches is turning into a big fish in a relatively small domestic pond.
“He’s still here, but anyone who knows the business knows that there are no certainties,” Magnin said. “That is why I will not make any major announcements until February 1st. However, the athlete has explicitly stated that he wishes to continue with us until the summer.
“I believe he wants to continue the big voyage with us and then go in the summer. That is the plan. But I can’t recall the last time a football plan worked!”
Alvyn Sanches is a footballer with ‘enormous imagination’, according to Lausanne Sport CEO Stephane Henchoz, with his eye for a pass and ability to ghost into space likely to come in handy for a squad that faces deep-blocks more frequently than others, at least in the Championship.
“My career plan is quite simple,” says the 21-year-old born in France and worth £7.5 million. “As a young player, I needed to have one. I want to finish the season with my current team before transferring to an intermediate club that will allow me to progress to the highest level.”
