Nat Phillips is not starting games for Liverpool anymore.
According to the Express, Liverpool are prepared to sanction a departure for fringe centre-back Nathaniel Phillips in the ongoing transfer window.
The 23-year-old has attracted interest from Championship clubs Bristol City and Blackburn Rovers ahead of the start of the upcoming campaign. (h/t Express)
It has also been claimed that a permanent exit from Anfield looks more likely for Phillips rather than another loan switch.
Born in Bolton, Nathaniel Phillps rose through the youth ranks at Bolton Wanderers before joining Liverpool back in 2016. The centre-back impressed for the Reds’ U-23 side before earning a loan move to Stuttgart in the German second tier last summer.
Phillips was recalled from his loan spell in January due to an injury crisis at Anfield and made his senior debut for Liverpool in an FA Cup tie against Everton. The 23-year-old was loaned back to Stuttgart until the end of the previous campaign after making only a solitary first-team appearance for his parent club.
The youngster’s loan spell in Germany was a success as he made 22 appearances across all competitions and helped Stuttgart secure promotion back to the Bundesliga.
Liverpool are currently a bit light in their central defensive options following the departure of Dejan Lovren earlier this summer. The Reds need someone to provide cover for the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, and Joe Gomez, so the door currently remains open for Phillips to challenge for a first-team role at Anfield.
In spite of Phillips playing a vital role in Stuttgart’s promotion last season, he is unlikely to make it into the Liverpool first-team at the moment. And, with Liverpool planning to offload him permanently, it would be fair to assume that Phillips is not a part of their plans moving forward.
The Reds have other top defensive talents like Sepp van den Berg and Ki-Jana Hoever trying to establish themselves in Klopp’s plans. Thus a permanent departure for the 23-year-old won’t make much of a difference to their squad depth.
At 23, it’s high time for Phillips to play senior football on a regular basis rather than see his career being wasted away in Liverpool’s reserve ranks. Also, a permanent move to some other club would be in the best interests of his career rather than another loan move because he needs stability to progress in his career.
Taking all the aforementioned factors into consideration, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Liverpool parting ways with Nathaniel Phillips would be a fair settlement for all parties involved.
The 23-year-old needs a permanent move away from Liverpool to carve out an identity for himself. So, the Reds shouldn’t hesitate to cash in on the central defender amid interest from Championship clubs.