Ashley Phillips

Ashley Phillips
Phillips with Stoke City in 2025
Personal information
Full name Ashley Phillips[1]
Date of birth (2005-06-26) 26 June 2005
Place of birth Manchester, England
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.92 m)
Position Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Middlesbrough
Number 4
Youth career
–2017 Curzon Ashton
2017–2022 Blackburn Rovers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2023 Blackburn Rovers 8 (0)
2023–2026 Tottenham Hotspur 0 (0)
2024 → Plymouth Argyle (loan) 18 (0)
2024–2025 → Stoke City (loan) 35 (0)
2025–2026 → Stoke City (loan) 40 (0)
2026– Middlesbrough 0 (0)
International career‡
2021 Wales U16 1 (0)
2021–2022 England U17 7 (0)
2023 England U18 3 (0)
2022–2023 England U19 14 (1)
2024–2025 England U20 5 (0)
2025– England U21 5 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13:48, 2 May 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:53, 31 March 2026 (UTC)

Ashley Phillips (né Famuyiwa; born 26 June 2005) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough.

Club career

Blackburn Rovers

In September 2021, it was reported that Phillips had agreed to a three-year professional contract with Blackburn to come into effect from his seventeenth birthday the following June.[2] However, by August 2022, Blackburn manager Jon Dahl Tomasson said the contract had not yet been signed.[3] Phillips was named in the starting XI for his professional debut in the EFL Cup in a 4–0 victory at home at Ewood Park against Hartlepool United on 10 August 2022.[4][5] Phillips made his league debut on 14 August 2022 in the game against West Bromwich Albion, playing 71 minutes in a 2–1 win.[6][7] Phillips signed his first professional contract on 20 September 2022 committing his future to Blackburn Rovers until June 2025.[8][9]

Tottenham Hotspur

On 5 August 2023, Phillips signed for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur after they activated his £2m release clause.[10] On 8 January 2024, Phillips joined Championship club Plymouth Argyle on loan for the remainder of the 2023–24 season.[11] Phillips made sixteen appearances for the club, helping them to avoid relegation, and was named their Young Player of the Season.[12] On 23 August 2024, Phillips returned to the Championship, joining Stoke City on a season-long loan deal.[13] Phillips scored his first goal in professional football on 29 October 2024 in a 3–2 EFL Cup defeat against Southampton.[14] Phillips made 39 appearances for Stoke scoring one goal, as they finished in 18th position, avoiding relegation on the final day of the season.[15][16]

Phillips returned to Stoke on loan for the 2025–26 season.[17] Phillips received his first senior red card in a 1–1 draw against his former side Blackburn Rovers, picking up two yellow cards for fouls on Yūki Ōhashi.[18][19] Phillips was a regular starter under Mark Robins in 2025–26, making 44 appearances becoming a popular player amongst the supporters.[20]

Middlesbrough

On 15 August 2026, Phillips signed a five-year contract with EFL Championship side Middlesbrough.[21]

International career

Phillips was born in England to a Nigerian father and Welsh mother.[22] On 9 April 2021, he made his debut for the Wales U16s coming off the bench in a 3–2 win against England U16.[23] On 1 October 2021, Phillips was called up to the England U17 squad.[24] On 16 September 2022, Phillips along with Rovers teammate Adam Wharton were called up to the England U19 squad,[25] making his debut in a 2–0 win against Montenegro U19.[26] On 9 June 2023, Phillips made his England U18 debut during a 2–2 draw with Norway at the Lisbon International Tournament.[27] On 6 September 2024, Phillips made his England U20 debut during a 1–1 draw away to Turkey.[28] On 29 August 2025, Phillips was called up to the under-21s.[29] He made his debut as a substitute during a 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win away to Kazakhstan on 8 September 2025.[30]

Style of play

Speaking in November 2021, then first team manager Tony Mowbray described Phillips as "phenomenal" and commented that as well as being 6 feet 4 inches tall Phillips had great ball-playing ability. Mowbray stated, "He's fast, mobile and can pass it really well. He can use both feet, he's composed...if you were to create a defender in the mould of how you would want one, this kid has got every attribute."[31]

Career statistics

As of match played 2 May 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Blackburn Rovers 2022–23[32] Championship 803030—140
Tottenham Hotspur U21 2023–24[33] ————2[a]020
Tottenham Hotspur 2023–24[33] Premier League 0000000000
2024–25[15] Premier League 0000000000
2025–26[34] Premier League 0000000000
Total 0000000000
Plymouth Argyle (loan) 2023–24[33] Championship 1802000—200
Stoke City (loan) 2024–25[15] Championship 3501031—391
2025–26[34] Championship 4002020—440
Total 7503051—831
Middlesbrough 2026–27 Championship 000000—00
Career total 10008081201181
  1. ↑ Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

References

  1. ↑ "A. Phillips: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  2. ↑ Crooke, Jaquob (17 September 2021). "Ash Phillips agreement and Blackburn Rovers contract latest as negotiations take focus". LancsLive. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  3. ↑ Jackson, Elliott (5 August 2022). "Blackburn Rovers boss provides contract update on Ashley Phillips amid Tottenham Hotspur links". LancsLive. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  4. ↑ Jackson, Elliott (9 August 2022). "Jon Dahl Tomasson confirms Blackburn Rovers debut for Hartlepool United clash". LancsLive. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  5. ↑ "Blackburn Rovers 4-0 Hartlepool United". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "Team news: Rovers v West Bromwich Albion". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  7. ↑ "Blackburn Rovers 2-1 West Bromwich Albion". BBC Sport. 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  8. ↑ "Phillips pens pro deal!". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Ash Phillips: Blackburn Rovers defender signs first professional contract". BBC Sport. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  10. ↑ "Ashley Phillips: Tottenham sign England Under-19 defender from Blackburn Rovers". BBC Sport. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "Ashley Phillips: Plymouth Argyle sign Tottenham Hotspur centre-back on loan". BBC Sport. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  12. ↑ "Plymouth Argyle FC". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  13. ↑ "Spurs starlet Phillips joins Potters on season long loan". www.stokecityfc.com. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  14. ↑ "Southampton 3-2 Stoke City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 "Games played by Ashley Phillips in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  16. ↑ "Derby County 0-0 Stoke City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  17. ↑ "Potters pull off Phillips transfer coup". Stoke City. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  18. ↑ "Stoke City 1-1 Blackburn: Rovers edge closer to safety after draw". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  19. ↑ "Report: Stoke City 1-1 Rovers". www.rovers.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "Ashley Phillips opens door on Stoke City return as he says 'I love being here'". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  21. ↑ "Ashley Phillips Signs For Boro From Tottenham Hotspur". Middlesbrough F.C. 15 August 2026.
  22. ↑ Kay, Oliver (25 December 2025). "Football through the generations, part 1: Getting spotted, sweeping terraces and playing against George Best" – via NYTimes.com.
  23. ↑ "ENGLAND U16 VS. WALES U16 2 - 3". Soccerway.
  24. ↑ "Country calls for Phillips". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  25. ↑ "England call for Rovers pair!". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  26. ↑ Smith, Frank (21 September 2022). "Report: England MU19s 2-0 Montenegro". England Football. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  27. ↑ Veevers, Nicholas (9 June 2023). "Report: Report: Norway 2-2 England MU18s". England Football. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  28. ↑ Veevers, Nicholas (10 September 2024). "Report: England ELS 2-0 Romania". England Football. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  29. ↑ Association, The Football. "England MU21s squad named for Kazakhstan trip". www.englandfootball.com.
  30. ↑ "Report: Kazakhstan 0-2 England MU21s". Englandfootball.com. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  31. ↑ Crooke, Jaquob (10 November 2021). "Ash Phillips' exciting development path as Blackburn Rovers foresee first-team involvement". LancsLive. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  32. ↑ "Games played by Ashley Phillips in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  33. 1 2 3 "Games played by Ashley Phillips in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  34. 1 2 "Games played by Ashley Phillips in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  35. ↑ "Middlesbrough's Chuba Akpom takes Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season". English Football League. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
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