Boro sign Spurs defender Phillips on five-year deal

Middlesbrough have made Tottenham Hotspur defender Ashley Phillips their eighth signing of the summer on a five-year deal.

The Manchester-born England Under-21 international, who began his career with Blackburn Rovers, stays in the Championship after separate loan spells with Stoke City, with whom he has made 83 of his 119 career appearances.

Phillips, 21, has also played in the second tier for Blackburn and Plymouth Argyle - the first club he joined on loan in January 2024.

He came through the ranks at Ewood Park before signing for Spurs in August 2023 for a reported £2m.

"I got some great experience at a young age with Blackburn. I then experienced what it's like to be a Premier League player at Tottenham," Phillips, who never made the first-team breakthrough for Spurs, told the club website., external

"I think I've developed myself into a good player during my loans, but there's more to come from me.

"I'm very excited to be here. Hopefully we can achieve great things together this season."

After missing out in the Championship play-off final to late-season bolters Hull City in May, Kim Hellberg's Boro squad has been bolstered this summer by the arrival of goalkeeper Radek Vitek, strikers Kyle Joseph and Will Lankshear, winger Jeremy Sarmiento and midfielders Sebastian Berhalter, Max Arfsten and Myles Peart-Harris.

After starting the season with last Saturday's 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Wrexham, Boro launch their 2026-27 Championship campaign with another home date against promoted Lincoln City.