Stoke on Trent Live

Stoke City will have to be very patient if they want to pursue an unlikely return of Ashley Phillips following his successful loan spell.

Phillips, aged 19, worked his way into becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet during his season at the bet365 Stadium despite playing under three different managers in a team that was struggling at the wrong end of the Championship.

He has gone back to Tottenham Hotspur with his reputation enhanced to the extent that his parent club are believed to rate him at about between £10m and £15m. He was signed from Blackburn Rovers in 2023 when Spurs activated a £2m release clause.

At the moment, it is understood that they do not have plans to send him back out next season although they might be tempted to test him in a European league – or Stoke could try to make the case that he would benefit from another year with them.

Either way, it still took until August 23 last summer for Spurs to sanction an exit and few Premier League clubs let their highest-rated prospects out until the end of their pre-season schedule while they manage their own comings, goings and commitments.

Phillips only made one league start for Stoke until late October but he ended up making 35, including playing through injury in the spring to help make sure they stayed in the division.

Stoke made six loan signings in all in 2024/25 but saw Tom Cannon recalled by Leicester in January to be sold on to Sheffield United for about £10m.

How did Phillips do?

Stoke boss Mark Robins said at the end of term:“I think Ash has got a brilliant future ahead of him. He’s been superb for us. He’s been playing through the last month with injury and got through. Ben Wilmot’s the same, playing with an injury that he needs to have sorted out now the season is over. He’s got through that.

“Gibbo has been injured, we know that, ever since I came in in January. To play a game and get through that is a credit to him as well because it’s the first time I’ve seen him semi-fit. He’s almost fit! He needs a pre-season now, which he will get.

Stoke legend and columnist Mike Pejic said: "Ashley Phillips has been a popular loan signing and fans would be happy to get him back. He is a big lad and needs to be stronger. He’s still developing physically and he needs another two or three years of hard development to get towards his potential.

"At the moment he needs a dominant centre-back with him to help him and to learn from. He’s pretty comfortable on the ball. He reads it quite well. You’ve got to win your battles in there and you’ve got to step into it rather than sit off."

The search for a centre-half

A centre-half is high on the recruitment agenda as the exit of Michael Rose, who was released at the end of term, leaves Ben Wilmot and Ben Gibson as the only two senior players in that position.

There are also high hopes for emerging youth defenders Jaden Dixon, Freddie Anderson, Pijus Otegbayo and Jake Griffin, plus Owen Powell, who is a little bit younger. Such is the calibre at the moment that Stoke were prepared to release Irish youth international Christy Grogan, who has always been very highly rated, so he can find a clearer pathway.

Anderson, aged 18, is currently on a season-long loan with Cork City in the League of Ireland, hoping to add physicality to his game that can push him up the pecking order when he gets back to Clayton Wood.

“Hopefully later on in my career, it’ll be a bit of a breeze, the physical side of the game,” he told the Irish press.

“It’s a tough league. There are some really good players. You’ve got to be at it every game to pick up positive results. So yeah, I’ve been really impressed.”

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Mark Robins has saluted loan teenager Ashley Phillips as he returns to Spurs – particularly after playing through his last month at Stoke City with injury.

Phillips and fellow centre-half Ben Wilmot have been playing through pain over the final few weeks of the season to try to help Stoke stay in the Championship, as did captain Ben Gibson as he returned for the final game of term at Derby on Saturday.

Robins, as ever, has been coy on injury details but Wilmot can now get his problem resolved, Gibson can look forward to a pre-season programme while Phillips is going back to parent club Tottenham Hotspur to see what happens next in his career.

The 19-year-old, who is under contract until 2028, has clearly enjoyed his time at Stoke and a first season of playing regular men’s football. It remains to be seen what Spurs’ plans are, but there will be no shortage of suitors if they sanction another loan.

Stoke’s planning for 2025/26 has been ongoing in the background over the last few months, particularly since the arrival of Ian Torrance as the club's latest head of recruitment, and it will be interesting to see how their search for a centre-back develops over the next few weeks and months.

Robins said: “I think Ash has got a brilliant future ahead of him. He’s been superb for us. He’s been playing through the last month with injury and got through. Ben Wilmot’s the same, playing with an injury that he needs to have sorted out now the season is over. He’s got through that.

“Gibbo has been injured, we know that, ever since I came in in January. To play a game and get through that is a credit to him as well because it’s the first time I’ve seen him semi-fit. He’s almost fit! He needs a pre-season now, which he will get.

“We’ve been two steps forward, one step back for a while, but thankfully that’s done and we can start to plan once we’ve had a little bit of a breather.”

While you're here, we have launched a new WhatsApp group to deliver the latest Stoke news directly to your phone. Click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in. If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave at any time by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking 'Exit Group', simple as that.