LEEDS, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: Detail view of the Leeds United club badge on the corner flag prior to the Premier League match between Leeds United and Newcastle United at Elland Road on December 16, 2020 in Leeds, England.The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Rui Vieira - Pool/Getty Images)
Great news for Leeds United as superstar Hay drops major transfer update in…..
Leeds United are interested in signing Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips this summer, with the Reds claimed to be wanting £10million for his signature
Leeds are keen on signing a new centre-back this summer as they aim to bulk up their defence after a shambolic end to the 22/23 season.
The Athletic’s Phil Hay has revealed that Leeds are looking at signing Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips this summer.
Said report claims that the Reds are aiming to bring in £10million for the defender while there is no claim of what Leeds will be looking to pay.
Here, we look at two reasons why it is great news for Leeds to see this transfer link emerge…
If it wasn’t already abundantly clear from Lucas Moura’s walking-football run to make it 4-1 in the final seconds of the 22/23 season, Leeds’ defenders are individually not good enough, even in the Championship they wouldn’t be.
A lot will leave, and therefore will need to be replaced with players that are better than them, which Phillips has shown he is through his performances not only for Liverpool but also when on loan at Bournemouth.
It seems like you know what you’re going to get with Phillips at the heart of defence, as a very robust central defender with incredible aerial presence and strong 1-v-1 quality, but also a decent ability in possession.
His pace is a concern, but with Leeds likely to try to dominate possession most weeks, it might not be the same issue in the Championship as it would have been in the Premier League.
£10million as a benchmark is unlikely to be how much Leeds end up paying for him up front, with most deals now laced with performance related add-ons, and Phillips would be the same.
However, at 26, he presents a player that Leeds haven’t often been keen to explore when Victor Orta was in charge of things.
He’s still got time to develop after being on the fringes at Liverpool, but he’s at an age where he has plenty of experience in the top two divisions under his belt, rather than an untested gamble that we have often risked ourselves with.
It’s a sensible move that has been so hard to come by for Leeds in years gone by. He plugs a gap we’ve needed to plug, and he comes in with experience, for a reasonable price (if negotiated well).
