Championship giants eyeing loan move for rising Tottenham talent

Tottenham defender Ashley Phillips is wanted on loan by Championship club Sheffield United

Tottenham Hotspur have got a lot many things wrong when it comes to the transfer recruitment over the years, mis-profiling players on several occasions. Having said that, though, the club chiefs deserve some plaudits for identifying young gems from all across Europe and bringing them to N17.

Back in August 2023, Spurs announced the signing of young centre-back Ashley Phillips from Blackburn Rovers. They activated his £2m release clause and snapped him up as part of a future investment. In January 2024, the Salford-born talent joined Plymouth Argyle on loan for the second half of the season and helped the club maintain their Championship status.

Upon returning to Tottenham last summer, Ashley Phillips was sent out on loan to Championship side Stoke City this time around. The England Under-20 international ended up playing under three different managers Steven Schumacher, Narcis Pelach and Mark Robins at the Bet365 Stadium. He made 35 appearances in the Championship, as Stoke City finished a lowly 18th in the table.

Impressed with his loan spell, Stoke are planning to bring him back for another season. However, they are set to face competition from a fellow Championship side. According to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, Sheffield United are eyeing a move for Phillips. However, Thomas Frank is an admirer of the youngster and wants to keep him at Spurs as part of his plans next term.

With the Lilywhites set to compete in the Champions League next term, Frank is planning to have a bigger squad. To cover all the competitions, the Dane perhaps wants Phillips to stay and fight for his place. However, as per recent reports, the North Londoners are closing in on the signing of highly-regarded Asian defensive prospect Kota Takai from Kawasaki Frontale. They have agreed a £5 million deal with Kawasaki Frontale from the four-cap Japanese international.

Takai’s potential arrival this summer could potentially block the pathway for Phillips to break into the first team. This recent development should convince Phillips to demand a Spurs exit as needs regular playing to continue his development, and Sheffield United would certainly be a smart destination.

The Blades have appointed Ruben Selles as their new boss, a young manager with fresh tactical ideas and progressive style of play in contrast to his predecessor Chris Wilder, and an exciting defender in Phillips could thrive in his system. The Yorkshire-based outfit are often almost in contention for Premier League promotion and narrowly missed out to Sunderland in the play-off final this past campaign. This could appeal to the 20-year-old Spurs man, who could bolster Sheffield United’s chances of winning promotion next season.

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• Tottenham showing interest in Brazilian attacker; £50m plus deal likely on the cards

Thus, it would make sense from Tottenham’s point of view to send Phillips out for another season-long loan in the Championship, rather than keeping him at the club and hampering his growth.