Envious glances at Derby County? Nat Phillips’ West Brom decision under scrutiny | OneFootball

Nat Phillips has been excellent for West Brom this season, but he must surely wish he chose Derby County in the summer.

What a season it has been so far for Derby County and John Eustace, with the Rams punching above their weight in the fight for the Championship play-offs. However, there is plenty of competition, and they know they must continue their current form.

The battle for the top six is incredibly tight this year. Clubs who struggled in the second tier last season, such as Derby, Hull City and Preston North End, are all fighting at the right end of the table. Meanwhile, those who performed well in 2024/25, like Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion, are pointing in the wrong direction.

The Baggies, in particular, have been a shock to many this campaign, and few would have expected them to have the issues that they have had so far, with the West Midlands outfit in a relegation battle. Since the arrival of Eric Ramsay, they have not won a single game, picking up just three points.

Defensively, West Brom have been shambolic at times in this run, with a 5-0 defeat to Norwich City proof of their issues at the back. However, there has been one standout for the club in the defensive areas, but he must surely be regretting his decision to move to The Hawthorns right now.

Nat Phillips snubs Derby County for West Brom in the summer

During the summer transfer window, Nat Phillips saw himself the subject of significant Championship interest as he prepared himself to say goodbye to Liverpool following nine years with the Merseyside giants. He played 29 times for the Reds, and spent the majority of his Anfield career out on loan.

The most successful of those loans came for Derby last season. Alongside Sondre Langas and Matt Clarke, he played an influential role in keeping the Rams in the Championship and Graeme Bailey reported in May that the Rams were keen on bringing him back to Pride Park on a permanent deal.

While this never came to fruition, he did get his move back to the second tier, signing a three-year deal at The Hawthorns and there were hopes that he would have brought the security needed to take West Brom towards the top six and potentially even the automatic promotion places.

However, things have not panned out the way that Phillips would have expected. His side are just two points above the drop zone right now, and had Leicester City not suffered their six-point deduction, they would be 22nd. Meanwhile, Derby are in strong contention for a play-off position.

Derby County have moved on from Nat Phillips this season

Clarke and Langas have continued to impress for the Rams, and their form from last season has followed them into the current campaign, with Jacob Widell Zetterstrom becoming one of the division's best goalkeepers behind the pair.

Yet, there is a new face who has impressed in DE24. Dion Sanderson joined on loan from Birmingham City at the start of the season, and despite a shaky start, he has quickly become one of Eustace's most vital players, and he has found a home at Pride Park.

Derby made his loan deal permanent in January, and they have not looked back with the 26-year-old racking up his seventh clean sheet of the season on Saturday against Swansea. He has the capacity to play in both a back three and in a centre-back partnership.

While there is no denying that the Rams would have liked to have seen Phillips return in the summer, it will be the West Brom man who is the envious party right now and his full focus will be on ensuring that the Baggies are not relegated to the third tier this season.