What’s the story?
Speaking to, transfer insider Dean Jones said: “I think that they’ve already touched base about the value of that deal, and I think that they need to negotiate with Liverpool further if that one’s going to have a breakthrough, but that’s still on the agenda.”
Moyes would love him
In a transfer analysis piece done by The Athletic looked at some potential targets based on how aerial presence is a big facet of Moyes’ game-plan at both ends of the pitch.
While Phillips himself wasn’t mentioned, you only have to look at the profile of the 6 foot 3 behemoth to see how the Hammers boss would surely love him.
It was only last year after watching him shine against RB Leipzig in the Champions League that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp raved about him, saying: “Oh my god. What a boy he is, what player he is, what a night it is for him.
“That’s absolutely great. The concentration level he shows now week in week out since he is playing for us is absolutely incredible. In the air he is a monster and you could see today football-wise he is not bad.”
The Hammers, along with Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, are said to be interested in the 29-year-old with the fullback’s contract expiring at the end of next month. Phillips thinks he would be a good addition to David Moyes’ squad:
“He has got a lot of experience and we know he is a quality player. He would want to try and get back playing and get back to the form that he showed when he was at Southampton and first arrived at Liverpool. West Ham could be a good place to do that. I can see that happening.”
With Pablo Zabaleta expected to leave the London club at the end of the season, bringing in an experienced replacement like Clyne does seem like a sensible move.
Considering that he won’t cost a transfer fee either, the defender could prove to be a bargain as long as he is able to recapture his best form.
Clyne has spent the best part of ten months on the treatment table due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury he picked up in preseason and, while he has now recovered, he has not played a competitive game for quite some time.
