The 26-year-old is expected to join Liverpool’s roster in January, and the Reds are eager to see him play at Anfield.

According to rumours on Saturday, Liverpool plans to increase the alternatives available to them at centre back in January.

Wayne Veysey of Football Insider reported this morning that Nat Phillips will likely be called back from his Celtic loan next month. The arrangement was originally scheduled to expire in late August.

With the 26-year-old’s parent club eager to have him back at Anfield in the wake of Joel Matip’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, the Reds are unlikely to exercise their option to extend it until the end of the season.

Liverpool had plenty of choices at centre back, so even if Matip hadn’t torn his ACL, it could have been wise for the Reds to call up Phillips in January given his success in Glasgow.

The defender hasn’t received the regular game time that he and his parent club would have hoped for from his loan move to Celtic; under former LFC manager Brendan Rodgers, he has only made eight appearances. He was also left off of the matchday squad for today’s Premiership match against Hearts.

Jurgen Klopp will have an easy way to add depth to his centre of defence by getting him back to Merseyside, but the manager will probably still be itching to recruit a player in that position next month so they can immediately compete for a starting spot.

Although Phillips has shown admirable quality in the past—most particularly in the second half of the 2020–21 season—his return should be seen as a workaround rather than the answer, given his age of 26 and the lack of evidence that he would ever establish himself at Anfield.

In an ideal world, the Reds’ hierarchy would contemplate giving the “Bolton Baresi” another (more thoughtfully planned) loan period if a reported target like Goncalo Inacio or Piero Hincapie is brought in. However, recalling him would give us enough depth at center-back.

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Liverpool persuaded to sign Jarrad Branthwaite

Liverpool should sign “the revelation of the season,” Jarrad Branthwaite, from fierce rivals Everton, according to Suleyman Ozturk.

Liverpool is looking to add a new defender as manager Jurgen Klopp looks to bring in a vital player for the long run. He would have preferred to have signed in the summer, but the manager was pressed for time and was forced to realign their midfield before he could bolster his defence.

Joel Matip’s season-ending injury may have advanced Klopp’s intentions, as Liverpool prioritises a center-back in January. The Reds’ manager previously acknowledged that teams won’t want to let go of their best players in the middle of the season and alluded to the challenge of locating the ideal candidate.

Meanwhile, he has allowed rookie Jarrel Quansah, who also began against Crystal Palace this past weekend, plenty of playing time. Although he does have some respectable possibilities, he believes that Liverpool needs a strong defence if they hope to contend for both the Premier League and the Europa League.

Liverpool should recruit 21-year-old defender Jarrad Branthwaite, who has been dubbed “the revelation of the season,” from fierce rivals Everton, according to Voetball International’s Suleyman Ozturk. He emphasised the qualities of the Toffees centre defender and stated that he was Virgil van Dijk’s long-term replacement.

“I believe that his time in the Netherlands, specifically in the Eredivisie, has been beneficial for him,” stated Ozkurt.

“You bring up his football prowess, which was also apparent at PSV, but I think his positioning is unbelievable.”I think Broja, the Chelsea striker, was really strong in their duels.

“It was interesting that they highlighted the exact moments that I found intriguing, the ones where he doesn’t bite but stays central, much like Van Dijk at his best,” Michah Richards said of him on Match of the Day.

“If I were Liverpool, I would purchase him to replace Van Dijk.” He is, in my opinion, Everton’s Premier League revelation of the season. He already leads the defence for a team that is having serious problems. It’s difficult to start in the starting lineup for a Sean Dyche team at age 21.

Branthwaite does not want to hurt Everton’s feelings, thus he will only consider relocating to Liverpool. The 21-year-old defender is being pursued by several Premier League teams, and Tottenham is also hoping to make a move before January.

Everton sees Branthwaite as essential to the team’s long-term success and is not interested in selling. Due to a violation of their Profit and Sustainability policies, the Premier League has docked the struggling Toffees 109 points.

More significantly, they won’t dare transfer one of their best assets to fierce rivals Liverpool, even though circumstances may alter. Ozturk’s evaluation of the defence makes a lot of sense, but a Merseyside transfer seems unlikely to happen.