Ashley Phillips linked with £10m move to Middlesbrough

The ink has hardly dried on Will Lankshear’s move from Tottenham Hotspur to Middlesbrough, and Boro are now linked with another Spurs youngster. According to the Lancashire Telegraph, Phillips is the subject of a bid of “more than £10m” from Boro as they gear up for a potential promotion campaign in the Championship this coming season.

Boro doesn’t appear to be Phillips’ only option, with the article stating he’s getting a lot of attention from English clubs as well as some from the continent as well.

Philllips has yet to make a single appearance for Spurs, but he’s turning into a hot commodity in the Championship. Signed three years ago for £2.5m, Phillips has had a loan at Plymouth Argyle and two straight seasons on loan at Stoke City where he has established himself as an exciting young defender. That doesn’t always translate to Premier League success, and if he stays he’ll almost certainly go back out on loan again. He was not listed on Spurs’ preseason tour roster which suggests he’s leaving the club one way or another this summer.

One financial wrinkle: Blackburn Rovers apparently have a 15% sell-on clause in Phillips’ contract, so they’ll see a small windfall if and when Phillips gets sold.

It seems pretty clear at this point that Spurs intend to flip Phillips for a profit rather than bring him through into the first team; he’d be well back in the CB pecking order and it’s not clear that his skills translate (yet) to what we hope is a high functioning Premier League side at Spurs. That’s probably fine. Phillips clearly is in demand and now might be a very good time for Spurs to cash in, even if it means he’s never played a first team match in Tottenham’s colors.