While at one stage automatic promotion looked a long shot for Leeds United, the Yorkshire giants have impressively closed the gap on second-place Ipswich Town to just two points, following Wednesday night's win over Norwich City.
That narrow 1-0 victory – which saw Patrick Bamford continue his recent hot streak in front of goal – has ensured that the Whites are now on a five-game winning run in all competitions, having conceded just once since the turn of the year.
Maintaining that rampant momentum might require additional reinforcements before the close of the window, however, with recent reports indicating that the Elland Road outfit have set their sights on snapping up a Premier League defender this month.
Leeds want to sign Premier League titan
According to the Daily Mail, Leeds are one of the Championship clubs who are showing an interest in Liverpool centre-back, Nat Phillips, with the Englishman said to be up for grabs having returned from a loan spell at Celtic in the first half of the season.
The piece indicates that both Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers are keen on the 26-year-old, although Farke and Co are also 'keeping an eye' on the one-time Stuttgart loanee, having previously been linked with a £10m permanent swoop for the player during the summer.
The in-demand titan didn't exactly enjoy the best of spells in Glasgow after making just eight appearances in all competitions under Brendan Rodgers, although his prior heroics would make him a welcome addition at Elland Road.
How Nat Phillips would fit in at Leeds
With Pascal Struijk currently sidelined and Liam Cooper – who could be in his final season at the club – also only just returning from injury, Farke has been forced to deploy midfield maestro Ethan Ampadu at the heart of the defence, alongside Joe Rodon.
8/10 Leeds star outshone Patrick Bamford vs Norwich
This Leeds United star even outshone goalscorer Patrick Bamford in the 1-0 win over Norwich City.
ByKelan SarsonJan 25, 2024
While that switch has paid off of late, such has been the club's imperious form, moving Ampadu away from his usual midfield berth is unlikely to be a long-term solution and with young Charlie Cresswell also out of the picture, a regular partner for Rodon needs to be found.
That is where Phillips comes in, with the 6 foot 3 "monster" – as previously lauded by Reds boss Jurgen Klopp – able to provide a dominant defensive presence alongside the on-loan Welshman, with the latter man catching the eye to such an extent that a permanent deal is believed to be on the cards.
Although Phillips has seen his game time limited in recent years – making just 29 first-team appearances in total for his parent club – he did particularly impress during his prior stint in the second tier, having helped propel AFC Bournemouth to promotion during the 2021/22 campaign.
Hailed as a "throwback" of a defender by pundit Jamie Redknapp, the £65k-per-week brute was a standout figure during his six-month stint on the south coast, helping to keep eight clean sheets in just 17 Championship appearances, while impressively winning 65% of his total duels and 69% of his aerial duels.
17 games (17 starts)
8 clean sheets
82% pass accuracy rate
1 'big chance' created
0.3 key passes per game
2.3 tackles & interceptions per game
69% aerial duels won
65% total duels won
7.04 avg. match rating
Stats via Sofascore
To put that into context, Rodon, for instance, has helped Leeds to nine clean sheets from 26 league games in 2023/24, while winning 68% of his total duels and 68% of his aerial duels – a remarkably similar record to the Bolton native's time at the Vitality Stadium.
That then bodes well for the impact that Phillips can make alongside the former Swansea City man under Farke, with the Whites needing to overlook the centre-back's underwhelming recent spell in Glasgow.
