Rumour Mongering: Big Nat Heads North

Just a day after links to Championship clubs appeared, it’s now being reported by Michael Grant, Scottish Football Correspondent for The Times that Glasgow Celtic are closing in on a loan move for Liverpool FC defender Nat Phillips.

Former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has turned to his old club after injuries to Cameron Carter-Vickers and Maik Nawrocki left him short in the heart of his defence. It’s a level that Phillips will likely dominate at, as he has shown that he’s at worst a capable lower-table Premier League defender. (If you were wondering what his best is, it’s doing turns against Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the San Siro in the Champions League, obviously)

It is a pity that it’s another loan move for the big guy again, it’s his third temporary stop in his career. But at least he’ll get a full season of games under his belt, which is the most important thing here. That last happened for him in 2021/22 when he made 17 appearances for Bournemouth while on loan. Prior to that, he also spent a season on loan in the 2.Bundesliga with Stuttgart, where he was teammates with Wataru Endo. His Liverpool contract currently runs to 2025, so we’ll probably do this dance again next year.

All the best up north, Nat. YNWA.