Kalvin Phillips would be another Jurgen Klopp transfer masterstroke

Sam McGuire

• Updated: 17 Jul 2023 17:01 BST
• 5 min read

Once again, Liverpool have a fair bit to do in the transfer market.

The Reds, who lost Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on free transfers this summer, moved swiftly to tie up deals for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. The expectation was that a third midfielder would arrive to complete the overhaul with Romeo Lavia looking the most likely.

However, these plans appear to have changed.

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Fabinho now looks set to join Saudi Arabian team Al-Ittihad in a deal believed to be worth in the region of €47 million while Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has reportedly agreed terms with Al-Ettifaq. The two teams are yet to agree on a fee but the feeling is it is a matter of when and not if there is a breakthrough.

If reports are accurate, the Reds already have a shortlist of players drawn up to potentially replace the Brazil international.

According to The Athletic, Romeo Lavia, Ryan Gravenberch, Sofyan Amrabat and Kalvin Phillips make up this wishlist. It isn’t exactly the most exciting list when you consider Moises Caicedo is still available right now while a big offer for Aurelien Tchouameni could well tempt Real Madrid into selling him.

If the Reds aren’t in for Caicedo or Tchoumeni, it is safe to assume they are looking for a value-for-money signing to fill a key role within their team.

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Phillips a better bet than Lavia

A lot of the talk recently has centred around Lavia. The 19-year-old had a breakout campaign with Southampton and is reportedly being courted by Chelsea and Arsenal. The Saints know they have a talent on their hands and it is in no doubt why they value him at €57m just 12 months after they paid an initial €14m to take him away from Manchester City.

Multiple reports claim the one-cap Belgium international is liked by key figures on Merseyside but that the valuation is far too much for a player of his current ability. It is true, too. If you did part with the rumoured €57m fee, you would be paying for potential right now.

Lavia is still raw having played just 2,200 Premier League minutes. His inexperience at this level also means he’s fairly inconsistent so with him in the starting XI, there would be teething issues in the short-term. The Brussels-born middle-third monster is more of a project player right now, someone to come in and supplement a more experienced starter.

With this in mind, the links to Phillips become a little more intriguing.

Granted, there are a few elephants in the room to address.

Are Manchester City really going to sell a homegrown player to a rival? They did it with Raheem Sterling last season when the England international joined Chelsea. They did also sell Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal. There is a precedent there but there wasn’t the rivalry between the two clubs there, was there? Liverpool and City have been at the pinnacle of football for the past five years, why would the 2022/23 treble winners want to strengthen the Reds?

Then, if you could get them to part ways with Phillips, what sort of money would they be wanting? After all, they signed him from Leeds for an initial €50m. City are smart in the transfer market, they aren’t going to accept a loss on a player with value. Liverpool would have to stump up big money to get any deal for the 27-year-old over the line. This sort of money is usually reserved for game-changers at Anfield, does the former Leeds midfielder fall into that category?

Next up, his injury record isn’t exactly the best. Over the past three seasons, Phillips has missed a combined 42 matches for Leeds and Manchester City. He’s managed just 4,318 minutes during that period. For added context here, Fabinho has averaged 3,000 minutes per season across his five campaigns on Merseyside in the Premier League and Champions League. Phillips is averaging half of that (1,439 minutes).

He’s not exactly the most reliable.

Elephants addressed, there are still reasons to consider Phillips a viable option.

For starters, he has vital experience in a highly energetic team having been a key cog for Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa. He was the deepest midfielder for them, often setting the tempo with and without the ball.

He has an impressive range of passing and can break the defensive lines from all areas of the pitch. Passing volume wouldn’t be an issue and his averages now aren’t far off what would be required from someone playing for Liverpool.

Phillips knows when to go long and when to just recycle possession and that is something Fabinho did well. The City No.4 puts in a defensive shift too, winning over 40% of his challenges and close to 50% of his tackles while playing for Leeds in the Premier League.

Though he’s on the small side, measuring in at just 5ft9, he held his own in aerial battles and this is something Liverpool’s Brazilian midfielder really excelled in, despite it going under the radar.

Phillips also has high-level experience having turned out for England on 27 occasions.

If he comes in alongside someone like Lavia, Liverpool can manage his minutes while developing the young midfielder to eventually succeed him.