Tottenham Hotspur has lost defender Ashley Phillips to Middlesbrough in a permanent deal. The Championship club has signed the player for an initial £7million fee, plus up to £13m in potential additional bonuses and add-ons. Phillips is the second Tottenham player to sign for Middlesbrough this summer, after academy graduate Will Lankshear also joined on a five-year deal.
What happened?
Middlesbrough have signed defender Ashley Phillips from Tottenham Hotspur, with the defender signing a five-year contract with the Championship club. The Athletic reported on August 6 that an agreement had been reached between the two clubs over a deal consisting of an initial £7million fee, plus up to £13m in potential additional bonuses and add-ons.
Why it matters for Tottenham Hotspur
Phillips is the second Tottenham player to sign for Middlesbrough this summer, after academy graduate Will Lankshear also joined on a five-year deal. The loss of Phillips will be a blow to Tottenham's defensive options, particularly with Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons currently sidelined.
What comes next?
Middlesbrough have made a number of signings from Premier League clubs this summer, with Phillips and Lankshear joining goalkeeper Radek Vitek, who signed permanently from Manchester United, alongside striker Kyle Joseph from Hull City and Jeremy Sarmiento from Brighton & Hove Albion. The Championship club is looking to build on last season's fifth-placed finish and push for promotion to the Premier League.
Phillips joined Spurs from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2023 for around £3m but departs without making his senior competitive debut for the club, after spending the last two-and-a-half seasons on loan in the Championship. He joined Plymouth Argyle for the second half of the 2023-24 campaign, winning the club's young player of the year award, before making 83 appearances across the past two seasons at Stoke City.
Middlesbrough have made a number of signings from Premier League clubs this summer, with Phillips and Lankshear joining goalkeeper Radek Vitek, who signed permanently from Manchester United, alongside striker Kyle Joseph from Hull City and Jeremy Sarmiento from Brighton & Hove Albion. The Championship club is looking to build on last season's fifth-placed finish and push for promotion to the Premier League.
League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 17th in Premier League, 41 pts, 10W-11D-17L from 38 games, recent form WLDWW. Goals this season: 48 scored, 57 conceded (-9 goal difference). Title race: 44 points behind leaders Arsenal. Currently sidelined: Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons, Dominic Solanke.
Middlesbrough were defeated by Hull City in last season's Championship play-off final after a fifth-placed finish. They are also due a significant sell-on fee from Morgan Rogers' £117m move to Chelsea, having inserted a 20 per cent sell-on clause in the deal which saw the England international join Aston Villa in January 2024.
