Leeds United supporters would love Liverpool defender Nat Phillips should he complete a move to the Championship, according to reliable journalist Neil Jones.
What position does Nat Phillips play?
Phillips is naturally a centre-back who has been at Anfield ever since 2016 when he initially joined the U23s side, but despite having since been promoted to the senior fold, he’s fallen significantly out of favour having been handed just one top-flight start last season by Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds boss already has Virgil Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez as his preferred options at the heart of the backline so the 26-year-old isn’t likely to get a look in moving forward, hence why it’s been reported that they are happy to listen to offers for him.
The Athletic’s Phil Hay was the first to credit the Whites with an interest in the 6 foot 2 colossus just last month and he revealed that the Merseyside outfit are looking to receive a fee of £10m in order to sanction his sale, and the admiration makes sense because the journalist claims that the player was previously wanted by Daniel Farke during his time at Norwich.
Are Leeds signing Nat Phillips?
Writing in his column for CaughtOffside, Jones claimed that Leeds would be a perfect fit for Phillips, but insisted that it could prove difficult to complete a deal should he also be targeted by more high-profile clubs overseas. He said:
“Leeds have been linked as well, and if I was a Championship team looking to get back into the Premier League, I’d definitely go for him as a reliable performer at centre-back. I think Leeds fans would warm to him – he’s that kind of no-nonsense, body-on-the-line kind of player that crowds love, he does the basics of defending well, and he’s underrated on the ball as well.
"So I think he’d be a great signing for someone like Leeds, but if he’s also getting offers from clubs in the Champions League or Europa League that’ll obviously appeal as well."
How good is Nat Phillips?
Leeds will know that Phillips hasn’t been given a fair chance to prove what he’s capable of at Liverpool but he’s more than shown his potential when handed the rare opportunity to play, having been dubbed a “monster” in the air by Klopp himself, so the centre-back could definitely excel further under the guidance of Farke.
The PLG client averaged two aerial wins per top-flight outing last season so is strong at using his height off the ground to win physical battles, but he’s also calm and composed in possession having recorded an 86.6% pass success rate, which was higher than any of the regular starters at Elland Road.
Phillips, who has previous experience of competing in the Champions League, would also provide the boss with some versatility with his ability to operate out at right-back alongside his usual role, which would be great quality to have in the building considering the long-term injury to Stuart Dallas, so all in all, this move would be a risk worth taking.
