Nat Philips joins Celtic on loan from Liverpool (1 Viewer)

Celtic has brought in defender Nat Phillips on loan from Liverpool. The 26-year-old will be with the team until January 2024 and wear the number six shirt.

This makes Phillips the eighth player signed by Brendan Rodgers in the summer. Others include Odin Thiago Holm, Marco Tilio, Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Yang Hyun-jun, Maik Nawrocki, Gustaf Lagerbielke, and Luis Palma, who joined on Wednesday. Phillips talked to Celtic TV about his arrival at Parkhead, saying,

"I'm really excited. When I heard about the interest it was one that got me excited.

"There were a few other options that didn't quite make me feel the same as this one did, so I was really keen to get it over the line and I'm delighted to be here now."

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When asked why he decided to join Celtic, the defender replied:

"It's the history of the club. It's such a huge club, the club's aspirations, the level it competes at, the fact that they're in the Champions League this year and the mentality of the club – they want to be winners in everything they do."

Rodgers added:

"We're delighted to bring Nat to Celtic and we're looking forward to working with him in the months ahead.

"It's been well-documented that it's an area of the team we needed to look at in the short term due to a number of injuries we have experienced, and so we're pleased that Nat will provide that defensive support in the squad.

"Nat arrives with the experience of having played for another huge club in Liverpool and those experiences will serve him well here at Celtic.

"I know that he's delighted with this move and is looking forward to working with the rest of the squad here."

Phillips started his career with his childhood team Bolton Wanderers before he joined Liverpool's training program in 2016. Since then, he has played 29 times as a senior player for Liverpool in various competitions.

Standing at 6 feet 3 inches, Phillips primarily plays as a center-back. He has spent time on loan at Stuttgart and Bournemouth as well. However, he was not a regular part of Jurgen Klopp's main team and only played five times for Liverpool in the last season.

During this summer, clubs like Dutch Eredivisie champions Feyenoord and England's Championship team Leeds United were interested in Phillips. However, Celtic managed to secure his services.

There's a chance that Phillips might make his first appearance for Celtic during their upcoming match against rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premiership. The much-anticipated Old Firm derby will take place at Ibrox on Sunday.