Liverpool cult hero lined up for Championship move by new boss as pre-season approaches – report | OneFootball

Liverpool look set to part ways with one of our most unlikely modern heroes, with a move to the Championship now close according to a reliable journalist.

As reported by John Percy on X, “West Bromwich Albion are close to signing Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips in a permanent deal.

“Phillips has one year left on his #lfc contract and was on loan at Derby last season. West Brom’s new head coach Ryan Mason working on other signings ahead of this week’s return to pre-season.”

Phillips, now 28, joined our academy from Bolton in 2016 and went on to make 29 appearances for the club.

He’s best remembered for his role in the chaotic 2020/21 season, where he emerged as an unlikely saviour during a centre-back crisis, helping us clinch Champions League football against the odds.

Having spent last season on loan at Derby County, where he impressed under John Eustace, the move to West Brom would mark a fresh start and a chance to settle after several loan spells.

With just a year left on his current deal, it’s the right time for both parties to move on and is a move James Pearce predicted earlier in the window.

West Brom move gives Phillips deserved fresh start

(Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)

The 28-year-old has always been professional and dependable whenever called upon, but with Virgil van Dijk, Ibou Konate, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah ahead of him, regular minutes at Anfield have long seemed unlikely.

While some Liverpool fans may be disappointed to see the No.47 depart, many will wish him well – especially after he helped us finish third in 2021 when many feared we’d miss out on the Champions League altogether.

This isn’t the first outgoings move this summer, with Caoimhin Kelleher’s Liverpool exit to Brentford already confirmed and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s transfer to Real Madrid making headlines earlier in the window.

Though unlikely to go down in club folklore, Phillips’ selfless commitment and memorable headers in the box during a crisis-filled campaign have earned him admiration.

Should this West Brom move go through, it could be one of the smarter pickups in the Championship this summer as it has been reported several clubs were looking to complete the signing.

We’ll certainly be keeping an eye on the defender as he begins his next chapter and wishing him all the best.

You can view the Phillips update via @JPercyTelegraph on X:

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