Former Liverpool defender Nat Phillips has completed a move to West Brom, but he departs Anfield as an unexpected icon with high praise from his former manager Jurgen Klopp ringing in his ears. After nine years on Merseyside, Phillips has finally gained a permanent move after several loan spells.
The defender's short stints at Stuttgart, Bournemouth, Celtic, Cardiff City and Derby County only hint at the crucial role he played for the the Reds however. Liverpool were teetering on the edge of missing out on Champions League action during the 2020/2021 season, just a year on from winning the Premier League. Injuries had hit hard, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and loanee Ozan Kabak all sidelined, making their task of climibing the table nigh on impossible.
It was Phillips, alongside academy graduate Rhys Williams, who formed an impromptu, yet formidable, defensive duo. They ultimately helped the Reds go on a 10-match unbeaten run to claim third in the Premier League and a Champions League place.
Fast forward a year and Liverpool reached the Champions League final. Klopp made sure the heroics of Phillips and Williams, in helping the Reds reach the competition initially, did not go unnoticed.
"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.
"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 history was also helped by the bizarre but 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.
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.