Dean Jones has told Give Me Sport that West Ham could reignite interest in Liverpool defender Nat Phillips in the January market – with the middle of their defence still requiring additions in the next couple of transfer windows.
Phillips, 25, clocked up only his 27th senior Liverpool appearance on Saturday as the Reds cruised past Southampton. It was only the Englishman’s second Premier League outing of the 22-23 season, after the Reds kept him in the summer.
Indeed, Phillips was kept at Anfield after his form for the Reds in 2020-21, and then on loan at Bournemouth last term. The Athletic said Liverpool wanted £15m for him in the summer. Now, Liverpool.com say they will have to accept less.
West Ham, meanwhile, still need a centre-back. That is despite bringing in Thilo Kehrer, Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma in recent windows. Kehrer is a right-back and Aguerd has just come back. Jones says West Ham could sign star Phillips.
“The strongest interest you could say would be West Ham and Nat Phillips. They’ve had a keen eye on him, they’ve had good reports and they considered going for him strongly in the summer. So I can see that one coming around again.”
West Ham could reignite interest in Liverpool defender Phillips in January
With Aguerd back and Kehrer really a right-back, the Hammers need to address the fact that both Craig Dawson and Angelo Ogbonna are both out of contract next June. Issa Diop left the club in the summer to join London side Fulham.
Phillips fits what Moyes wants in a central defender. He is rock solid in the air, a powerhouse at the back. While his ability with the ball at his feet is questionable, he would the shield of Declan Rice in midfield. What is a fair fee?
Given Liverpool wanted £15million in the summer, and his lack of game time since then, a fee of £10million would be fair. Phillips would surely be open to a move to a side that have European football after Christmas. The ideal signing.
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