Tottenham confirm defender transfer exit as Ange Postecoglou weighs up January signings

Tottenham have confirmed that promising young defender Ashley Phillips has joined Championship outfit Plymouth Argyle for the remainder of the 2023/24 campaign. The 18-year-old joined Spurs in the summer transfer window from Blackburn Rovers, with high hopes for the future.

The centre-back joined for a fee worth roughly £2million, featuring five times for the under-21s in the time since he made the move. That may seem relatively few appearances, however some of that will be due to some of the first-team squads he has been involved in recently.

Injuries and suspensions across the squad for Spurs have meant that Ange Postecoglou has been forced into making plenty of changes in his team. At the back in particular, injuries to Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have hit hard as makeshift arrangements have been in place to deal with their absences.

As a result, Phillips has made seven Premier League squads and one FA Cup squad, though he is yet to make his debut as he was left on the bench for them all. It suggests that there could be a pathway in the future for him to burst onto the scene, but it may be slightly too early.

Instead, first-team experience elsewhere is needed, which is where the loan to Plymouth Argyle comes into the equation. The Pilgrims currently sit 18th in the Championship, following on from promotion last season, with an excellent recent track record when it comes to developing loanees.

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