Liverpool were on the ropes in the latter half of the 2020/2021 season, with Champions League qualification looking nigh on impossible - until Nat Phillips stepped up to help save the club's season
Jurgen Klopp puts his arm around a smiling Nat Phillips
Jurgen Klopp hailed Nat Phillips' contribution to the Reds
(Image: Getty)
Former Liverpool defender Nat Phillips has sealed a move to West Brom and the centre back leaves Anfield as a cult hero, with the words of ex-boss Jurgen Klopp ringing in his ears. After nine years on Merseyside, Phillips has finally gained a permanent move after several loan spells.
Yet his brief stints at Stuttgart, Bournemouth, Celtic, Cardiff City and Derby County struggle to tell the story of just how vital Phillips, 28, once found himself to Liverpool's faltering back-line.
Middling performances throughout the 2020/2021 season had Klopp's team on the brink of missing out on Champions League football, just a year on from winning the title. Matters weren't helped by an unprecedented injury crisis in defence that had left Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and on-loan Ozan Kabak all sidelined.
It was Phillips, alongside fellow academy graduate Rhys Williams, who stepped up to form a makeshift, yet formidable, partnership in the heart of defence. They ultimately helped the Reds go on a 10-match unbeaten run to claim third in the Premier League and a Champions League place.
A year later, Liverpool reached the Champions League final. And the efforts of Phillips and Williams were etched into Klopp's thoughts upon the achievement.
“I messaged Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips because we wouldn’t be there without them," Klopp told Sky Sports News after Liverpool's victory in the semi-final.
Jurgen Klopp congratulates Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips after Liverpool beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in May 2021
Jurgen Klopp congratulates Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips after Liverpool beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in May 2021
“I remember the final game of last season and they left the pitch with a bandage around the head, cuts on their faces, and that was really a symbol for the whole period. We went through on one leg, with one eye… it was incredible. It was such a tough season.
“You try to understand, you think, ‘Wait a minute, we’re facing teams in the strongest league in the world having played for the majority of the time without our full defence.’ We had no centre-halves, had to play midfielders in the last line. In the end, we played with two incredible players – Rhys and Nat."
Phillips' standing in Anfield folklore was also bolstered by the bizarre, yet heroic, circumstances around his debut for the club. In January 2020, Phillips temporarily returned from a loan spell at Stuttgart to play in an FA Cup victory over Everton at Anfield, before swiftly returning to Germany.
Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams stand next to each other and clap the fans
Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams stepped up for Liverpool at a crucial time
Fans will also be eager to point out his breathtaking Cruyff-like-turn on Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the San Siro, against AC Milan, in a Champions League fixture back in 2021.
The 28-year-old has now signed a three-year contract at the Hawthorns with Liverpool receiving £3million, including add-ons. He leaves Liverpool after making 29 senior appearances.
A statement on the club's website said: "As Nat now embarks on a new chapter in his career, everyone at LFC would like to thank him for his efforts and wish him the very best for the future."
Phillips now joins Trent Alexander-Arnold, Caoimhín Kelleher, Jakub Ojrzyński, Dominic Corness, Reece Trueman, Lee Jonas, Louis Enahoro-Marcus, Harry Evers, Jacob Poytress, Harvey Davies and Vitezslav Jaros in leaving Anfield in the postseason as Arne Slot's Premier League champions look to rebuild over the summer.