BID ACCEPTED: Ange finally gets the player he has always wanted, after Tottenham seals deal of ‘brilliant’ player
According to rumours, Tottenham Hotspur and Ashley Phillips, an 18-year-old defender for Blackburn Rovers, have reached an agreement. According to reports, the Championship team accepted the North London club’s offer.
What’s the latest on Spurs and Ashley Phillips?
According to Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic, Spurs’ £3 million offer for Phillips has been accepted. The teenager will now move up to the Premier League after demonstrating signs of making a breakthrough at Blackburn last season, where he made eight appearances.
According to Eccleshare, the young player will get a physical in the following day or so before joining the rest of the Spurs team on their preseason trip.
Additionally, his arrival is not expected to interfere with the Lillywhites’ aspirations to sign at least one more senior center-back this summer, with players like former loanee Clement Lenglet being mentioned as potential candidates.
The central defender may, of course, find himself refined to the youth teams at such a young age rather be thrust into Ange Postecoglou’s first team’s starting lineup.
Phillips will join Manor Solomon, Guglielmo Vicario, and James Maddison as the fourth addition of the Postecoglou era, as the North London club undergoes yet another reconstruction under yet another management.
Who is Ashley Phillips?
At only 18 years old, Phillips is making a very significant move, but he has earned it after excelling for Blackburn the previous season.
The defender has received a lot of acclaim over the past few years, with former manager Tony Mowbray praising him in 2021, according to the Lancashire Telegraph: “He’s a wonderful footballer and he is going to be a mega footballer, I’m quite confident, but he’s a very young lad.
“He’s a 6’3, 6’4 magnificent cut of a guy, fast as lightning, composed with the ball, aggressive. I think this football club have a footballer on their hands, and we have to manage his introduction into our team as best we can. I just brought him to give him some experience.”
Statistically speaking, too, Phillips wasn’t far off the numbers that Japhet Tanganga produced in his limited game-time last season – even making more blocks than the current Spurs man, according to FBref.
Tanganga, 24, is a prime illustration of how Spurs’ academy system can help young players. Tanganga was once a reliable member of the starting lineup while still coming up through the academy, yet injuries have slowed his development.
Starting with the preseason, Phillips will have to take his chances when they present themselves. He will have a fantastic opportunity to learn from some of his colleagues over the upcoming weeks in preparation for the season. He might even be able to disprove the necessity for a signing like Lenglet by pushing his way into Tanganga’s playing time.
When it comes to competitions such as the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, we may see Phillips thrown into the side by Postecoglou, as we get a glimpse of the player that the teenager has the potential to become.
