Liverpool CONFIRM transfer for 'brilliant' homegrown defender | OneFootball

Nat Phillips leaves for WBA

The 28-year-old made himself a cult hero during the ill-fated 2020/21 season and has appeared in 29 first-team games overall for the Reds.

Last season he was out on loan at Derby County, doing his reputation no harm at all in helping the Rams survive Championship relegation.

That spell sparked a clamour among second-tier teams for his signature - with the Baggies now coming out on top.

Liverpool wish Phillips well

“All the best in your new chapter, Nat,” read a post on the club’s official Instagram page. With such a wealth of talent in the centre-back position over the last number of seasons, it was always unlikely that Phillips would make another first-team breakthrough.

Since his debut in January 2020, Phillips has experienced loans at VfB Stuttgart, Bournemouth, Celtic, Cardiff and Derby.

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Klopp describes Nat Phillips as 'brilliant'

Phillips rose to prominence under Jurgen Klopp during an injury-ravaged 2020/21 season with the former manager singling him out for praise following a 2-1 win over West Ham in November 2020.

“He's a brilliant guy, smart guy, intelligent, everything. He's not easy on the eye, he's not Messi but who cares?” Klopp told Match of the Day.

“In the air, he's a monster! He was incredible.

“For the first game, I think everyone can imagine how nervy that must be after a long wait. It's a crazy story, three years ago he was on his way to America to college.

"Twelve Championship teams wanted him and to me it was clear he was going, and I was fine with that - and it didn't work out for whatever reason, and it's great! Tonight he was spot on, helped the team incredibly.”