Liverpool defender Nathaniel Phillips has joined Championship side Bournemouth on loan for the remainder of the season.
Phillips was an instrumental part of Liverpool’s defence in the second half of last season as the Reds clawed back third place and qualified for the Champions League.
Long-term absences to Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez represented an opportunity for Phillips to come into the heart of the Liverpool defence and he defied expectations to remain a mainstay at the back.
But chances have been limited this season after the trio recovered from their injuries, along with the summer signing of Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig, and after discussions with Jurgen Klopp, it was agreed that Phillips could leave in January.
Yet with no club matching Liverpool’s £15m price tag for the defender this month, Klopp has compromised and allowed the 24-year-old to leave on loan in order to play regular football.
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According to The Athletic, Liverpool have let Phillips join Bournemouth on loan for a fee of £1.5m with a £250,000 bonus due if the Cherries get promoted.
Klopp has previously raved about Phillips but the pair agreed the best thing was for the defender to keep playing football - though it was clear a loan move was not an ideal scenario.
Liverpool are thought to have snubbed loan offers in the summer as they only wanted to let Phillips go on a permanent basis.
But Klopp has stuck to his word by allowing him to leave on loan for the south coast club, despite the Reds transfer listing him ahead of this month.
Speaking about Phillips in December, Klopp said he was one of the most improved players he's coached during 20 years as a manager.
"I remember when I saw Nat Phillips first. I spoke to him after the game and he’s one of the smartest players I ever worked with. I told him, ‘You know you are not the easiest on the eye, eh?’" revealed the Liverpool boss.
"He improved in pretty much everything since, and he’s not playing. Life is sometimes not fair and I can’t blame him.
"We cannot keep him forever, that’s clear. We needed him, just to be safe, for that half-year. We will see what happens in the window. He was fine doing it because he’s a great guy.”
Phillips made 20 appearances and scored once in 2020-21 for the Reds and received heaps of praise alongside fellow stand-in centre back Rhys Williams, as the pair stepped up to the plate to help Liverpool finish inside the top four.
This season, however, just three more appearances have followed, despite a man-of-the-match showing in the 2-1 Champions League win over AC Milan at the San Siro in December.
Unfortunately for Phillips, he fractured his cheek-bone in the Italian capital but has since made a full recovery.
And now he has the chance to play week-in-week-out for the remainder of this season and help Bournemouth achieve promotion to the Premier League.
From Liverpool's perspective, it makes sense to let Phillips go and get regular game time, given it will likely enhance his chances of sealing a permanent switch come the summer.
