Forgotten Liverpool ‘monster’ is attracting ‘strong interest’ from numerous clubs this summer | OneFootball

One player who seems certain to leave Liverpool this summer is expected to have his pick of suitors over the coming weeks.

While watching Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate form such an imperious centre-back pairing as the Reds romped to the Premier League title over the past few months, it’s easy to forget just how unstable that part of the team had been not so long ago.

In the Dutchman’s lengthy injury absence for the majority of the 2020/21 campaign, a dearth of options forced Jurgen Klopp to field numerous combinations of emergency partnerships, with the unlikely duo of Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams ultimately coming good to help the Merseysiders to salvage a third-place finish.

The latter is still on Liverpool’s books but has since gone on loan to five different clubs, while the former is set to cut his long-standing ties with the Reds as his contract expires at the end of this month.

Liverpool defender Phillips attracting numerous Championship suitors

As reported by Gregg Evans for The Athletic‘s Transfer DealSheet on Tuesday, Phillips is a player in demand as he prepares to leave Anfield for good.

Following a productive loan move to Derby last season, the 28-year-old is attracting ‘strong interest’ from West Brom and several other Championship sides who could be prepared to snap him up permanently and finally give him some stability in what’s been a nomadic career for the defender.

(Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)

Phillips will always be appreciated at Liverpool for his 2021 heroics

Like Williams, Phillips has also been loaned out to no fewer than five clubs during his time with Liverpool, and the last of his 29 senior appearances for the Reds came in an FA Cup third-round replay against Wolves in January 2023 (Transfermarkt).

Despite being something of a forgotten man at Anfield, though, the ‘Bolton Baresi’ has made an impression on quite a few of his former bosses.

Klopp hailed the defender as an ‘aerial monster‘ during his spell in the LFC starting XI in 2020/21, while Derby manager said that the 28-year-old was ‘outstanding‘ at Pride Park over the past few months and would happily have him back at the club for next season.

Championship clubs with genuine aspirations of promotion could do a lot worse than to sign Phillips, who helped Bournemouth to regain their top-flight status in 2022 while on loan at the Vitality Stadium.

Hopefully the defender (who’s set to become a father in the next few months) will find a settled home where he can go on to become an established starter over a prolonged period of time, having stepped up for Liverpool in their hour of need and served numerous other sides with distinction in the intervening years.

Who knows, he might even treat another club’s fans to a repeat of his legendary ‘Cruyff turn’ against AC Milan at the San Siro in December 2021!