Liverpool Defender Seals A Deadline Day Loan Move To Bournemouth: Good Move For Everyone?

Bournemouth have confirmed on their official website that Liverpool defender has sealed a deadline-day loan move to the Vitality Stadium for the remainder of this campaign. It has been revealed that the Reds centre-back will now join the Cherries on a six-month loan deal as he looks to get his career back on track.

Phillips’ Limited Role At Anfield This Season

Phillips has found playing time hard to come by at Liverpool during this campaign after only managing to feature for them in the cup competitions. The Bolton-born powerhouse has been involved in three senior matches for Jurgen Klopp’s side this season across all fronts.

The 24-year-old had a solid spell with the Reds in the previous campaign when he made 20 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, scoring one goal and providing one assist across all fronts. Phillips was a rock at the back for Liverpool last season as he averaged 1.3 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 4.8 clearances per 90 minutes in Premier League football. He was even tidy when distributing possession from the back, as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 84.2% in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).

Phillips Seals A Loan Move To Bournemouth: Good Move For Everyone Involved?

Phillips can use his powerful 1.90m frame to dominate the opposition attackers in the air and is also proficient at playing his way out from the back. He doesn’t take too many risks when clearing the danger at the back and can get stuck in with some solid tackles to make life difficult for the opposition. The English defensive ace can even time his challenges well to earn possession back for his team on the defensive end of the field.

Phillips has enjoyed a decent rise at Liverpool over the past 18 months. However, he has fallen behind Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez in the Anfield pecking order.

Hence, the talented centre-back can now benefit from going out on loan to Bournemouth where he will have a realistic shot at securing regular game time in the remainder of this season. Liverpool will hope that Phillips can prove his worth as a good defender in the Championship so that he can a good resale value in the summer. All in all, the English talent’s deadline-day loan move could prove to be a good move for both the player and the Merseyside club this winter.