Middlesbrough complete permanent signing of Tottenham defender Ashley Phillips on five-year deal
Middlesbrough have completed the permanent signing of Ashley Phillips from Tottenham Hotspur, with the England Under-21 defender putting pen to paper on a five-year deal at the Riverside Stadium, the club confirmed.
The 21-year-old becomes Kim Hellberg's eighth summer signing as Middlesbrough continue an ambitious rebuild following their Championship play-off final defeat to Hull City in May. According to The Athletic, the deal is worth an initial £7 million, with a further £13 million in potential add-ons.
Phillips joined Tottenham from Blackburn Rovers in 2023 for a reported £2 million but never made a senior appearance for the club, instead building his experience through loan spells, most productively across two stints at Stoke City, where he made the bulk of his 119 career appearances. He also spent time on loan at Plymouth Argyle.
Speaking to Middlesbrough's official website, Phillips said he had developed through his loan spells and was "very excited" to join, adding he hoped to "achieve great things" at the Riverside this season.
He is the second Tottenham player to move to Middlesbrough permanently this summer, following academy graduate Will Lankshear's switch on a similar five-year deal. Boro's recruitment has also brought in goalkeeper Radek Vitek, strikers Kyle Joseph and Lankshear, winger Jeremy Sarmiento, and midfielders Sebastian Berhalter, Max Arfsten and Myles Peart-Harris.
