Nat Phillips

Joining on a loan deal until January 2024, Nat Phillips arrived at Paradise bringing with him Premier League and UEFA Champions League experience to bolster the Hoops central defence.

Graduating from the Liverpool Academy, Phillips made 27 appearances in Jurgen Klopp’s first-team, scoring one goal. The central defender spent time on loan at VfB Stuttgart in Germany in the 2019/2020 season, before returning to Liverpool the following season and making his league debut.

After arriving back at the Premier League club he went on to make his UEFA Champions League debut in a last-16 victory over RB Leipzig and played against the likes of AC Milan. In January 2022 he spent the second-half of the season on-loan at Bournemouth and helped the seaside club gain promotion back to the Premier League.

Phillips isn’t the first footballer in the family, with father Jimmy Phillips also having a long career in the game. Starting and finishing his career at Bolton Wanderers, Phillips Snr won the Football League First Division title in 1995 to gain promotion to the Premier League. A Bolton legend, he worked in a number of coaching roles at the club from 2005 to 2020, taking caretaker charge of the first-team on three occasions.