Football.London’s Alasdair Gold has revealed that Ashley Phillips is expected to challenge for a first-team spot at Tottenham next season.
Spurs signed Phillips last summer on the back of his breakthrough season at Blackburn Rovers and while the 18-year-old did make Ange Postecoglou’s matchday squad on several occasions during the first half of the campaign, he is yet to make a senior appearance for the North London side.
With Radu Dragusin arriving through the door at Hotspur Way this month, Tottenham decided to loan the teenager out to Plymouth Argyle and he has made a solid start to his spell at the Home Park Stadium, delivering impressive displays against Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City.
Tottenham envision first-team role this season
According to Gold, the expectation at Spurs is that Phillips’ spell at Plymouth will prepare him for what comes next in North London.
The journalist says that irrespective of whether Tottenham sign another centre-back next summer, the former Blackburn man is expected to be a part of the first-team set-up next season.
Gold explains that fellow Under-21s centre-back Alfie Dorrington will remain at Spurs until next summer and then it will be his turn to go out on loan next season when Phillips returns.
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Postecoglou and the club evidently wanted Phillips to get competitive action under his belt so that his development is not interrupted. If Ange feels that the teenager is not quite ready for a first-team spot at Spurs next season, the club could consider loaning him out to a newly-promoted Premier League side.