Ashley Phillips
English footballer (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ashley Phillips (né Famuyiwa; born 26 June 2005) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL Championship club Stoke City on loan from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.
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Phillips with Stoke City in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ashley Phillips[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 26 June 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Manchester, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.92 m) | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Stoke City (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur) | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2017 | Curzon Ashton | ||
| 2017–2022 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Blackburn Rovers | 8 | (0) |
| 2023– | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Plymouth Argyle (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | → Stoke City (loan) | 35 | (0) |
| 2025– | → Stoke City (loan) | 33 | (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 | 4 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:08, 14 March 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 13:54, 19 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
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]
International career
Phillips was born in England to a Nigerian father and Welsh mother.[18] On 9 April 2021, he made his debut for the Wales U16s coming off the bench in a 3–2 win against England U16.[19] On 1 October 2021, Phillips was called up to the England U17 squad.[20] On 16 September 2022, Phillips along with Rovers teammate Adam Wharton were called up to the England U19 squad,[21] making his debut in a 2–0 win against Montenegro U19.[22] On 9 June 2023, Phillips made his England U18 debut during a 2–2 draw with Norway at the Lisbon International Tournament.[23] On 6 September 2024, Phillips made his England U20 debut during a 1–1 draw away to Turkey.[24] On 29 August 2025, Phillips was called up to the under-21s.[25] He made his debut as a substitute during a 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win away to Kazakhstan on 8 September 2025.[26]
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."[27]
Career statistics
- As of match played 14 March 2026
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2022–23[28] | Championship | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur U21 | 2023–24[29] | — | — | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2023–24[29] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024–25[15] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025–26[30] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Plymouth Argyle (loan) | 2023–24[29] | Championship | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | |
| Stoke City (loan) | 2024–25[15] | Championship | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 39 | 1 | |
| 2025–26[30] | Championship | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 37 | 0 | ||
| Total | 68 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 76 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 93 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 111 | 1 | ||
- Appearances in EFL Trophy