It's funny how just one result can completely change the mood at a football club such as Liverpool, but then the weight of the compelling Premier League title race lies heavy on the club's shoulders.
An insipid performance against Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday afternoon allowed Arsenal to reclaim pole position in the table ahead of the Gunners' trip to Merseyside to take on Jurgen Klopp's men at the weekend.
Of course, it's all relative and while Liverpool have suffered from a decline in creativity and innovation in the midfield across recent weeks, Klopp is contending with a mounting injury list at the epicentre of the gruelling winter period.
It's important to remember that victory over the Gunners on Saturday would place Klopp's side top at Christmas, but with the January transfer window just around the corner, it might be wise to fortify the ranks.
Liverpool transfer news – Kalvin Phillips
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Liverpool remain in contention to sign Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips despite the ostensible advance from Juventus, who are seeking to close in on a winter deal.
It appears that the Treble winners would entertain an initial loan offer that would have a clause inserted to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season, with a fee in the region of €40-50m (£34-43m) touted.
Newcastle United, decimated by injuries and beset with the 10-month ban of Sandro Tonali, are also in the market for a midfielder and would be delighted to offer Phillips a Premier League lifeline, though Juventus are still the favourites.
Calciomercato believe that while the Reds are behind in the race, they have formally entered in recent days and could now seek to leapfrog the competition in trademark Klopp style.
Kalvin Phillips' style of play
While Phillips would not be the coruscating gem of a creative midfielder to pump some of that innovation and spark into Liverpool's midfield, he could be a fantastic option to thread the centre together and allow the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch to thrive.
Alexis Mac Allister has missed the past three Premier League matches due to injury and his effectiveness as the Anfield anchor perhaps went under the radar, but Phillips could bring the mettle and technical skill to serve the No. 6 role well.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Tackling
Aerial duels
Interceptions
Discipline
Blocking
Direct free-kicks
*Sourced via WhoScored
Once proclaimed to be a “Rolls-Royce” of a player by journalist Josh Bunting, Phillips signed for City from Leeds United for £45m in 2022 after serving as the centrepiece for the Whites as they rose to the top-flight and enjoyed a resounding return to the big time, finishing ninth in 2020/21 with 59 points.
While Phillips has mouldered on the fringe under Pep Guardiola's management, he chalked up 234 appearances for Leeds and received comparisons to Chelsea's erstwhile phenomenon N'Golo Kante for his performances across the 2020/21 campaign.
As the Times' Henry Winter remarked when the 28-year-old was playing regularly, Phillips is the kind of all-encompassing midfielder to enhance those around him, a sort of unbreakable bedrock, from which little pockets of fertile soil sprout life for creativity peers to plant their roots.
He is a machine in the middle, making 2.6 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.7 clearances per game when Leeds returned to the top-flight, as per Sofascore, also completing 85% of his passes.
This level of industriousness and tenacity remains; it has not dissipated and blown away in the wind. A sage manager such as Klopp would be able to harness his talents and restore his best ability, and Liverpool would likely benefit from his arrival.
Why Liverpool are interested in Kalvin Phillips
The £150k-per-week ace would probably be a little rusty but there is a reason that Liverpool, Newcastle and Juventus are all eager to snap him up.
Despite his limited match action, Phillips has demonstrated many of his excellent core qualities over the past year, ranking among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for pass completion, the top 2% for passes attempted, the top 8% for shots taken and the top 7% for clearances made per 90, as per FBref.
Such metrics denote crispness in his ball-playing ability and robustness and energy in his craft; it's important to remember that while Phillips has failed to make a mark at the Etihad Stadium, he was one of English football's most coveted players before making the ambitious move.
These statistics also draw comparisons to Real Madrid gem Aurelien Tchouameni – as noted by FBref's similar players model – and given Liverpool's lasting interest in the France international, it might be wise to sign a player who could emulate such a skill set.
To explain: Liverpool were among the contenders to sign Tchouameni in 2022, with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain also vying for the former AS Monaco star, though the allure of Los Blancos and all of its prestige convinced Tchouameni to join the LaLiga giants in a €100m (£85m) transfer.
Liverpool's interest doesn't appear to have gone away and there have been claims from only last month that the Reds remain sanguine in their perpetual efforts to bring the player to Anfield, though Madrid's emphatic response has signalled that he is considered a key player for many years to come.
Tchouameni ranks among the top 1% of positional peers for pass completion, the top 7% for passes attempted, the top 17% for shots taken, the top 4% for interceptions and the top 14% for clearances per 90.
The 23-year-old has been called "world-class" by Transfermarkt's Stefan Bienkowski and this is probably justified, but given that Phillips boasts metrics that would allow him to replicate the incisiveness and dynamism of the Frenchman, Klopp's desire to sign him is perhaps clearer.
Tchouameni would be the dream but there is simply no way that Carlo Ancelotti and Florentino Perez will let him go anywhere near Merseyside any time soon; he is simply not up for sale.
Maybe signing Phillips would be an astute piece of business to provide Klopp with a player who could fit his vision and enrich the fluency of his team.
