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Leeds United are hoping to sign Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips this summer, with the Reds hoping to earn £10 million.
After a dismal defensive performance last season, one of Leeds’ main areas of investment this summer should be in bringing in important defenders.
Leeds United are interested in acquiring Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips this summer, according to The Athletic.
According to reports, the Reds would seek £10 million to let him depart, but the Whites may be willing to talk the Anfield club down from that figure.
Here, we examine at two of the defender’s primary talents that he would bring to Elland Road…
Phillips’ sample size from previous season is incredibly small after sliding down the pecking order under Jurgen Klopp, but his strengths are clear to all.
His most frequent game time for Liverpool came during their injury-plagued 20/21 season, when he was statistically the best centre-back in the division for aerial duels, winning 5.87 per 90 minutes – according to FBref.
5.01 clearances per 90 indicate how good he is at clearing his lines when the ball enters the box, and while it may not sound like the most in-depth tactical assessment of the 26-year-old’s talents, it doesn’t have to be.
Leeds has struggled in the air since losing Pontus Jansson in 2019, with Liam Cooper being the best of the group who have played for the club since then – Ben White, Pascal Struijk, Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, and Max Wöber all suffer in that area.
A lot has been made on social media regarding Phillips potentially joining Leeds, with the general consensus being that his passing skill is lacking.
To put it mildly, a harsh narrative has been built around the centre-back, who has really proven to be solid on the ball.
When it comes to Liverpool, he’s been rated in comparison to their three prominent players, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and Joel Matip, all of whom are exceptional on the ball.
He was in the 82nd percentile for short passes completed and had 0.43 critical passes per 90 minutes while playing in a team that frequently faced low blocks at Anfield and away from home.
He spent half of the 21/22 season with promotion-winning Bournemouth, where his accuracy was comfortably in the 80s while also exhibiting a superb range (via FBref):