Liverpool may have accidentally revealed Nat Phillips is leaving with club website ‘clue’

Liverpool may have accidentally revealed Nat Phillips is leaving with club website ‘clue’

Liverpool may just have accidentally revealed that Nat Phillips is leaving the club with a clue on the club’s website.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is in the middle of a major squad rebuild after a disappointing fifth place finish in the Premier League last season.

The Reds have already signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai for a combined £90m and are expected to bring in further reinforcements, potentially in midfield or at centre-back.

 

Klopp has also allowed a number of senior players to leave the club, with James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departing last month when their respective contracts expired.

 

 

There could be further departures this summer as Klopp looks to make space in his squad and raise transfer funds.

 

The Merseyside club may have inadvertently revealed Phillips as the next player out of the door at Anfield, when releasing their new away kit for the 2023/24 campaign.

There is no option on the club website to select the defender’s name on the back of the shirt, unlike the rest of the senior squad.

Could Phillips leave Liverpool this summer?

Phillips, 26, has struggled for game time in recent seasons, making just two Premier League appearances in the last two campaigns.

 

He spent part of the 2021-22 season on loan at Bournemouth and was linked with a move away from Liverpool last summer.

 

However, the Bolton-born centre-back, who has previously been described as a ‘monster’ by Klopp, was kept at the club to provide cover in defence.

 

He has continued to be linked with a transfer away from Anfield this summer, with relegated Leeds United reportedly keen to bring him to Elland Road.

Dutch club Feyenoord are also said to be interested in Phillips, who has made 29 senior appearances for Liverpool – the majority of which came during the 2020-21 season when the Reds suffered a defensive injury crisis.

Eagle-eyed supporters will have also noticed that Kaide Gordon was included as a selectable option on the shirts, suggesting he could be part of Klopp’s plans for the upcoming campaign.

The 18-year-old winger is expected to return to full training next week after 17 months out with a pelvic injury.

Liverpool face German side Karlsruher in their opening pre-season friendly on Wednesday, with their first game of the new Premier League campaign coming away at Chelsea on August 13.

Levi Colwill ‘spotted’ in Liverpool shirt as cryptic tweet fuels Anfield transfer speculation

Liverpool have already completed two huge signings this summer but fans will hope to see more new arrivals before the window shuts.

Alexis Mac Allister was the first new face through the door in a £35m move from Brighton before Liverpool signed Dominik Szoboszlai for £60m from RB Leipzig.

Their arrivals provide Jurgen Klopp with much-needed midfield reinforcements and the German may now look to bolster other areas of his squad.

Another position in need of strengthening for Liverpool is central defence, with the club reportedly in the market for a left-side centre-back.

Among the names linked with a move to Liverpool is Chelsea defender Levi Colwill, who spent last season on loan at Brighton.

Colwill, 20, made 22 appearances in all competitions for the Seagulls to help them finish sixth in the Premier League and qualify for the Europa League.

Colwill has continued his impressive form on international duty with England U21s at Euro 2023, helping the Young Lions reach the final in Romania and Georgia.

England haven’t conceded a single goal on their way to Sunday’s final, where they will face Spain.

Elliott sends Colwill cryptic tweet

Colwill took to social media after their 3-0 semi-final win over Israel, posting: “One last push! Onto the final.”

A reply from Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott has sparked hope that the Reds man may be able to help convince Colwill to move to Anfield this summer.

Elliott replied to Colwill: “Let’s have a chat”, along with a laughing emoji – fuelling speculation the Chelsea man could be tempted to move to Merseyside.

The Mirror have reported that Colwill grew up idolising Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.

@levi_colwill making his debut at old trafford today. Would only be right for me to share this picture of him in a Liverpool shirt. Absolute pleasure playing a small part in your development mate. Well done on todays win.

A picture of Colwill wearing a Liverpool shirt as a youngster has resurfaced on social media in recent weeks amid the speculation over his future.

Speaking back in May, Colwill said he would decide his next move after the U21 Euros were finished.

“Brighton have done a lot for me,” he said speaking to the The Athletic. “They put their trust in me when others didn’t and I’m a person that loves to repay that. We’ll see.

“I don’t know what is going to happen. I’m still here until the end of the season. I just focus on that, then I’ve got the [Under-21] Euros in the summer. After that, we’ll see what happens and go from there.

“Who knows, we’ll see what happens in the summer. I love the Brighton fans, I love everything about them (the club). I’ll take that into consideration.”

Rory O’Callaghan

Liverpool may have made £20m Dominik Szoboszlai mistake which could benefit Tottenham

Liverpool may have made £20m Dominik Szoboszlai mistake which could benefit Tottenham

Liverpool are reportedly pushing ahead to sign Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig – and they have seen a cheaper alternative go elsewhere this month.

The Reds are keen on signing the 22-year-old, as per The Athletic’s David Ornstein, despite previously believing that a deal would be ‘very difficult’ to get over the line.

He has a release clause of €70 million (around £60 million), which the club reportedly plan to activate on June 30. Sky Germany’s Philipp Hinze claims that, after that date, the release clause is no longer active.

Premier League clubs have been busy in the midfield market this week, with Arsenal signing Kai Havertz from Chelsea and Tottenham acquiring James Maddison from Leicester.

While Arsenal have shelled out a fee of £65 million for Havertz, Spurs have paid just £40 million for Maddison – and signed him ahead of their rivals.

Liverpool’s transfer mistake?

Maddison became Spurs’ first summer signing when he joined the club earlier this week from newly-relegated Leicester.

And there are similarities between the England international and Szoboszlai.

In fact, according to Opta’s The Analyst, the two players shared a 94 per cent similarity rating across various metrics, including chances created and shots per 90 minutes. Szoboszlai’s 2022/23 season performance was judged against Maddison’s displays in 2019/20.

As an English player, Maddison will also add to Spurs’ home-grown quota. Liverpool only have five registered homegrown players currently, but as per This is Anfield, eight more players will become eligible for this season.

The former Foxes star also has substantial Premier League experience, which Szoboszlai does not possess yet

The 22-year-old has been directly involved in 14 goals in each of his last two Bundesliga seasons, with Maddison producing 19 and 20 goal contributions in that time.

However, due to his versatility, offensive profile and superb displays in the Bundesliga, the Reds will back the Hungary international to produce top form in the English top flight – and outperform Maddison.