Derby County have confirmed the loan signing of Liverpool defender Nat Phillips on a season long loan, after the 27-year-old spent last year in The Championship with Cardiff City in the second half of the 2023-24 season.
Phillips, who has previously filled in at times of need for Jürgen Klopp for Liverpool has now made his fifth loan move away from the Merseyside outfit. The 27-year-old has featured for Bournemouth, Celtic, Stuttgart and Cardiff with a handful of Champions League appearances for Liverpool.
He becomes Derby County’s tenth signing of the summer before the deadline, offering experience .t the level through his previous loan spells as well as limited experience above the second tier, which will be valuable to Paul Warne’s side who are looking to adapt to life back in The Championship.
This is not Derby’s first use of the loan market, with David Ozoh and Jerry Yates amongst other loanees making the switch to Pride Park, midfielder Ebou Adams also made his loan move permanent after winning promotion with the club while contracted at Cardiff City.
While well regarded at Liverpool, at 27-years-old with less than 100 senior appearances, this is a move that could be greatly beneficial for Phillips to potentially play a first full season as first choice.
Derby currently sit 16th in the division following their promotion from League One, following a difficult start back to life with an opening day 4-1 thumping away at Blackburn Rovers, home victories over Middlesbrough and Chesterfield in the league and cup maintain Pride Park at a 100% record this season; however, an away victory is still yet to come for Warne’s side with losses away at Watford and Barrow.
On joining the East-Midlands club, Phillips had this to say in an interview with the club’s official website:
“There are plenty of reasons (for joining Derby). It’s a huge historical club. The fact that they’re back up into the Championship this year after a good season last year, it’s an exciting time for the club.
“They’ve got great facilities, a great stadium, good fan base and I’m sure they’ll be looking forward to hopefully a positive season in the Championship. Like I said earlier, the conversation with Paul Warne kind of solidified everything for me.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve had two separate stints in the Championship, but both six-month or half-season spells. It’s nice to come here on a longer-term basis with the full season ahead of me.
“I’ve played a number of games in the league now, so I know the challenges it can bring and what to expect and I’m looking forward to that.
“I’m really excited. I’ve heard great things about the home support. I’ve never been to a game where the home support has been there before, so I’m looking forward to seeing that. I am just looking forward to getting involved and contributing.”
Writer’s View
This is a great signing for Derby that brings a wealth of experience at the level which will be invaluable for Warne’s side acclimatising back to life at Championship level. As previously said, this is also a brilliant opportunity for the player to manage a full season of first team football, which has been hard to come by throughout his career at Liverpool.
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