According to both The Athletic and Goal, Liverpool may sell Nat Phillips this summer, and we can’t help but feeling they’re making something of a mistake.
Phillips was one of Liverpool’s best players last season, he finished third on their Player of the Year voting and played a massive part in their late charge for a top-four spot, but for some reason, the Reds are willing to sell him for around £15m, and in our view, that just doesn’t add up.
Seemingly, the only reason Phillips is available for such a price is because he isn’t what you would describe as a glamorous name. But this is a man who hasn’t put a foot wrong in a Liverpool shirt and was voted as the club’s third-best player last season.
To put it into perspective, Trent Alexander-Arnold was voted as the Reds’ third-best player the season prior, and the Anfield outfit wouldn’t dream of letting him go for any price, never mind £15m.
Now, we’re not saying that Phillips should continue being the Reds’ first-choice centre-back ahead of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez or Ibrahima Konate, we just think that after such a fantastic season he deserves a chance to prove he’s capable of competing with these players.
We can understand it from a business perspective, Phillips’ stock has never been higher, so selling him right now does seem to make sense, but you have to think about what sort of message that would send out to every other young player or fringe player who goes to the AXA Training Centre day in, day out.
The reality is that opportunities are few and far between at Anfield, and when they’re handed to you, you have to take them.
Phillips made sure to make the most of his chance this season, and how is he being repaid? By potentially being shipped off to either Burnley or Brighton.
Liverpool are supposed to be a club that is the breeding ground of opportunity, a club that personifies where hard work, dedication and perseverance can get you, but despite the fact that Phillips has been the physical embodiment of all of those characteristics for the past 12 months, the Reds may cash in on him.
In our view, this sends out the wrong message to every player at the club, it shows that no matter how well you play, how hard you train and how much you give, if you’re not a big name or a hyped-up young player, you’re not going to make it as a first-teamer, and on the off-chance that you do, the club will just cash in on you while your stock is high.
Selling Phillips would send out completely the wrong message to everyone at the club.
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