Last season, 26-year-old defender Nathaniel Phillips continued to prepare for the moment of need as the 5th best center back. At Liverpool, he was unable to overcome the high barriers of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, and Joe Gomez, and this season, with the emergence of Jarell Quansah, he did not even get a start in pre-season.
Even if he stays with the team, he is likely to miss out on a valuable period of time in his mid-20s without even playing a single game. The center back also wanted to move to a club where he could get more playing time.
At the start of this summer’s transfer window, he was considered a lock for a permanent transfer, but no club was willing to buy him out. With the deadline soon approaching, a one-year loan turned out to be the most probable option, and it seemed that playing in the Championship was waiting for him.
According to The Athletic, Celtic, led by Brendan Rodgers, who has previously been in charge of Liverpool, have jumped to the front of the race for the player.
The Scottish club has had a string of injuries to its defensive players. To fill that hole, they see the former Bolton defender, who has also played in the Premier League, Championship, and in Germany, as the best option.
Liverpool will not stand in the way of the player’s departure, whether it is a permanent transfer or a loan move. So which club will Nathaniel Phillips be playing for this season…?