Everton were the only club in the entire Premier League that neglected to make a signing this January, despite their terrible form.

With Frank Lampard having been dismissed just last week, and Sean Dyche employed as his successor, the former Burnley man was left with little time to stamp his mark on this downtrodden outfit that currently sit in the relegation spots.

Despite having had months to prepare for arguably one of the most important transfer windows in the club's history, Farhad Moshiri and Kevin Thelwell could only employ a desperate approach where they threw bids at anyone and everyone, to no avail.

Few were tempted to board the sinking ship, and despite only recently earning £45m from the sale of Anthony Gordon, no deals were completed.

However, one of many that cropped up during deadline day was links to Kalvin Phillips, who was touted out to a number of Premier League clubs on loan according to reports, via The Express.

The Manchester City man has struggled since his summer move, with injuries halting his attempts to force his way into Pep Guardiola's thinking.

As such, he has fallen way down in the pecking order with a huge second half of the season looming for the Spaniard.

A temporary move could have not only helped revitalise his career but added another level of defensive security into Dyche's midfield that helped his former club thrive in their return season in England's top flight.

Having masterminded their promotion the season prior, Phillips would earn a 7.21 average rating as Leeds United finished in ninth, sandwiched in between Arsenal and the Toffees.

Across that campaign, the £150k-per-week maestro recorded 2.6 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.2 key passes per game, alongside an 85% pass accuracy, via Sofascore.

His role was instrumental and even led Jamie Carragher to compare one of his displays to that of Manchester United legend Paul Scholes. The Sky Sports pundit claimed: "Kalvin Phillips was fantastic against Everton and I’ve been wanting to analyse him for a while. When he was pressed, his passing was fantastic. All Phillips did all evening was switch play – it was a Paul Scholes performance. He had acres of space and ran the game from minute one to 90."

“You had to stop Scholes pulling strings in midfield, and against Everton last Saturday, Phillips produced one of the best performances from an individual I’ve seen this season."

Despite having left Elland Road in an eye-watering £42m move, it was suggested beforehand that he would remain a hero in the area whether he left or not. That was the suggestion of writer Amos Murphy, who tweeted: "Regardless of if he leaves or not, think it's safe to say his legend status is already secured."

He could have earned a similar legacy at Goodison Park, had he joined Everton and played a big role in their survival.