Leeds United continue to be linked with the same Premier League stalwart, suggesting they could be set to emulate a previous success that earned them promotion just three years ago.
Are Leeds United signing Nat Phillips?
With Phil Hay having detailed the Whites' interest in Nat Phillips back in late June, a lot has changed since then.
The 49ers' takeover has officially gone through, and Daniel Farke has been appointed as the new manager set to spearhead their push for a top-flight return.
And yet, despite all this upheaval, Leeds Live attest that they remain interested in the Liverpool defender, with Gretar Steinsson and Nick Hammond targetting the centre-back area with the "most vigour".
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It is expected that the Reds will command a £10m fee for his services, which could prove to be a huge coup that improves them massively for the coming campaign.
How good is Nat Phillips?
Although not something fans will look back on with fondness, the west Yorkshire outfit do have plenty of recent experience when it comes to attempting to engineer promotion pushes.
After all, they did endure a 16-year absence the last time they were relegated from the Premier League, with Marcelo Bielsa the man to finally complete that comeback.
His tenure was a largely successful one, despite its unceremonious end, and was littered with various outstanding triumphs that helped shape the club in his image.
One such decision was tempting Ben White from Brighton and Hove Albion on loan, as the defender thrived during that infamous 2019/20 term.
The 25-year-old featured in all 46 of their Championship games that year, maintaining a 7.06 average rating that made him Leeds' seventh-best performer. He became a key cog in Bielsa's system, with the ball-playing star keeping 22 clean sheets and recording an 85% pass accuracy, 2.5 interceptions and 2.7 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
White was imperious and without him, they would not have eased to the title that year.
So, to see that the club are seeking to emulate that success by once again poaching a centre-back from a top-flight club will have supporters thrilled; especially considering the touted move would actually be a permanent one.
Whilst Phillips might not be as young or classy on the ball, he does boast key defensive attributes that will help plug the biggest weakness that Farke has inherited.
Last season saw the Whites ship 78 goals in the league as they fell to the drop, the most in the division. The 26-year-old titan will be incensed to reduce that figure severely.
When taking into account his brief Championship stint, as he enjoyed the final six months of the 2021/22 campaign on loan with AFC Bournemouth, there is precedent to believe that the Bolton-born academy graduate could help lead a promotion charge from the back just as White did all those years ago.
The Cherries went up in second that year, whilst Phillips maintained a 7.04 average rating alongside an 82% pass accuracy, 1.5 interceptions and 4.1 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
However, Jurgen Klopp had foreseen such stellar showings on a regular basis, as he lauded the colossus back in 2021:
"In the air, he's a monster but you could see it today, he's football-wise not bad, really good".
Should the out-of-favour defender now recapture such form once again, it could prove pivotal in fixing a huge issue, shoring up the backline and emulating a success of old by looking to a top-flight club to help drag them out of their mess yet again.
