Transfer News: Tottenham Hotspur prepare summer move for Blackburn Rovers starlet Ashley Phillips
According to the Express, Tottenham Hotspur are drawing up plans to make a move for Blackburn Rovers youngster Ashley Phillips in the summer. The club had had two bids turned down for the player in January.
Manager Antonio Conte’s cries for help for reinforcements in the winter transfer window saw Spurs manage to deliver him with Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus on deadline day.
Though the club was unsuccessful in luring Phillips to N17 last month, it is said that they are preparing to add him to their youth ranks at the end of the season, as they look to bolster their prospects for the future.
At just 16, the defender is yet to make his debut for Blackburn in the first team. Despite this, Spurs saw their bids rising to £5m including bonuses rejected last month by the Championship club.
Defensive prospect
Spurs’ recent league outings have ended miserably, with the club currently on a three-game losing streak in the Premier League. Their defensive game needs much work on the training ground, as their last game against Wolves saw their defenders almost gift the opposition attackers their goals from silly mistakes.
Phillips is rated highly as a young defender, and the centre-back could prove to be an excellent addition to Spurs’ academy as the club looks for long-term solutions to their defensive ailments.
Despite the move for the teenager being seen as a useful move by Tottenham to invest in the future, their current manager needs results now, as soon as possible. The club is lagging behind the rest of the league, and they need short-term solutions to climb back up the league table.
Conte has also criticised the club’s recent transfer business, saying that the club’s vision was for the future, while hinting that they needed instant fixes in the form of established players. It seems to be a warning message sent to the club hierarchy to back him with players that he needs in the summer.
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These messages from the manager will need to be taken on board by the club officials, and work hard in the summer transfer window to give Conte the players he needs. With the right players in the squad, the Italian is one of the world’s best at delivering results for the clubs he’s managed previously.
Phillips is certainly one for the future, and the club needs to do what it must to snap up the defender at the end of the season. However, Spurs must also back Conte in the summer in order to compete at the top with the rest of the Premier League elite.
