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After nine years on Merseyside, Phillips has finally gained a permanent move after several loan spells.

Yet his brief stints at Stuttgart, Bournemouth, Celtic, Cardiff City and Derby County struggle to tell the story of just how vital Phillips, 28, once found himself to Liverpool's faltering back-line.

Middling performances throughout the 2020/2021 season had Klopp's team on the brink of missing out on Champions League football, just a year on from winning the title.



Matters weren't helped by an unprecedented injury crisis in defence that had left Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and on-loan Ozan Kabak all sidelined.

It was Phillips, alongside fellow academy graduate Rhys Williams, who stepped up to form a makeshift, yet formidable, partnership in the heart of defence.

They ultimately helped the Reds go on a 10-match unbeaten run to claim third in the Premier League and a Champions League place.

A year later, Liverpool reached the Champions League final.

And the efforts of Phillips and Williams were etched into Klopp's thoughts upon the achievement.

“I messaged Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips because we wouldn’t be there without them," Klopp told Sky Sports News after Liverpool's victory in the semi-final.

Article continues belowJurgen Klopp congratulates Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips after Liverpool beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in May 2021(Image: John Powell, via Getty Images)

“I remember the final game of last season and they left the pitch with a bandage around the head, cuts on their faces, and that was really a symbol for the whole period.

In January 2020, Phillips temporarily returned from a loan spell at Stuttgart to play in an FA Cup victory over Everton at Anfield, before swiftly returning to Germany.

Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams stepped up for Liverpool at a crucial time(Image: 2021 Getty Images)

Fans will also be eager to point out his breathtaking Cruyff-like-turn on Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the San Siro, against AC Milan, in a Champions League fixture back in 2021.

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The 28-year-old has now signed a three-year contract at the Hawthorns with Liverpool receiving £3million, including add-ons.

He leaves Liverpool after making 29 senior appearances.

A statement on the club's website said: "As Nat now embarks on a new chapter in his career, everyone at LFC would like to thank him for his efforts and wish him the very best for the future."

Phillips now joins Trent Alexander-Arnold, Caoimhín Kelleher, Jakub Ojrzy?ski, Dominic Corness, Reece Trueman, Lee Jonas, Louis Enahoro-Marcus, Harry Evers, Jacob Poytress, Harvey Davies and Vitezslav Jaros in leaving Anfield in the postseason as Arne Slot's Premier League champions look to rebuild over the summer.


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