Leeds United have finally appointed their new head coach at Elland Road with Daniel Farke tasked with the challenge of achieving an instant bounce-back to the Premier League next season.
The Whites suffered relegation from the top-flight over a tight relegation scrap that saw Southampton and Leicester City drop into the Championship too, so for the three teams – who had all become established Premier League clubs in their own right – it will likely be a tough fight for the automatic promotion spots in the second tier.
In terms of recruitment, Leeds will need to get the ball rolling to make sure they can comfortably compete next season and, as it stands, the club have failed to confirm any incomings during a transformative summer so far.
Bolstering key positions on the pitch and being prepared for potential exits by some of their Premier League-proven talent will be essential in the West Yorkshire club's ability to dominate in Championship football.
One player who has now been linked with a move to the Whites is Liverpool centre-back Nathaniel Phillips, who despite limited game-time at Anfield – where he featured just five times last term – has shown glimpses of his ability to dominate and trouble opponents on many occasions both for Liverpool and in the second tier with Bournemouth.
The Athletic's Leeds reporter Phil Hay claimed this week that Leeds hold an interest in the defender who will cost £10m to sign this summer and revealed that he is a player that Farke has been interested in the past during his time at Norwich City.
Will Leeds sign Nathaniel Phillips this summer?
There is no doubt that improvements need to be made at Elland Road this summer following a real struggle to compete in the Premier League last season and one of the most important areas to repair is the defensive presence in the squad.
No other team in the entire top-flight conceded more goals than Leeds last season (78) despite the side scoring the second-highest amount of goals in the bottom half of the table (48), which is a testament to the troubles their defensive players found themselves in during the fight against relegation.
As a result, the signing of Phillips could be a great opportunity to strengthen and improve the back-line this summer and with the exit of Robin Koch confirmed would be a welcomed new addition.
Whilst Phillips' sporadic appearances at Liverpool make it hard to measure his impact in the Premier League, his six-month loan spell at Bournemouth in their Championship-winning season gives a glimpse of what Leeds can expect from his huge presence in his centre-back role.
Over 17 appearances during the second half of the 2021/22 campaign, the 26-year-old tallied up an 82% pass completion rate, kept eight clean sheets and successfully completed 50% of his dribbles, as well as averaging 4.1 clearances, 1.5 interceptions, 76.1 touches and 5.9 duels won per game, proving that he is a dominant and solid defender when given consistent game-time.
Not only that, the Bolton-born titan has earned high praise from Jurgen Klopp, with the Liverpool manager full of compliments for his out-of-favour centre-back after his display against West Ham United a few seasons ago, stating:
"In the air, he's a monster! He was incredible."
With that being said, it would be a great piece of business for Leeds if they could secure the services of Phillips and with consistent minutes at Elland Road could play a vital role in improving the defensive performances next season.
