Tottenham youngster Ashley Phillips is starting to impress on loan at Stoke City
Tottenham Hotspur have a plethora of highly regarded young players in their ranks, and Daniel Levy and his team has been tasked with ensuring that all of the starlets take strides in their games during the season. One of the players starting to get some regular minutes for his loan side is Ashley Phillips.
Ashley Phillips, who arrived at Spurs from Blackburn Rovers in 2023, spent the second half of last season on loan at Plymouth Argyle. The youngster was one of Plymouth Argyle’s standout players, playing a key role in helping the club secure their Championship status.
The defender returned to the Hotspur Way in the summer and signed for Championship side Stoke City on a season-long loan in August. When he made the loan move to Stoke City, many at Spurs would have thus expected him to kick on and become a key player for the Potters. However, instead, Phillips has had a couple of months to forget, having barely gotten opportunities to impress.
Eventually, the on-loan Tottenham man’s wait for his first start under his new manager Narcís Pelach was over and he certainly made a case to stay in the starting XI. Under Pelach, Phillips made his first Championship start in the 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United. He started and scored in Stoke’s 3-2 fourth-round Carabao Cup defeat against Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium on Tuesday.
And on Saturday, the centre-back made his third start in a row, completing 90 minutes in the 2-1 home win over Derby County in the Championship. Phillips has had to be patient for his chances, and now as they are coming his way, he is ensuring to grab it with both hands.
John Wenham—the owner of the famous Spurs podcast Lilywhite Rose—has been delighted to see Phillips now getting regular game time for the Potters. He feels it is crucial for the teenager to continue playing regularly in the first team at the Championship club this season.
“I was really pleased to see him return to the starting lineup,” John Wenham exclusively told Tottenham News.
“He obviously did well enough in the league that they felt the need to reward him with a start against Premier League opposition in the cup.
“And he scored on the night with an incredible finish which showcases that he is confident. For Phillips, it is just about continuing to play football this season. That is key.
“He needs to continue developing and pushing and see where that takes him.”
It is fantastic to see Phillips slowly make his way into Pelach’s starting XI at Stoke. The young defender from Manchester looks confident now and will want to continue this form, looking to complete a solid full season in the second tier of English football.
Beyond Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Radu Dragusin, Tottenham don’t have pure central defensive options in the first team. This means the Lilywhites continue to proactively look for a young defender in the upcoming winter window, and Ange Postecoglou would be keen to have a look at what Phillips produces on his loan spell for Stoke.
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And if any opportunity for him to be included among the defensive unit at Hotspur Way would arise, our gaffer wouldn’t back off from it.
