Sheffield United should re-ignite Spurs transfer interest after Stoke City evidence | OneFootball

Sheffield United should consider returning to a move for Ashley Phillips this summer after an excellent loan at Stoke City

Sheffield United head into the summer transfer window preparing for their third consecutive season in the Championship, and with parachute payments running out for the Blades, these next few months must be carefully managed.

Indeed, it's been a season full of mixed emotions for Sheffield United supporters, though the overriding feeling will likely be one of disappointment.

Around this time 12 months ago, the Blades had just lost out in the play-off final to Sunderland, having achieved 90 points across the Championship campaign, which would have been enough for automatic promotion in more or less any other year.

As it went, Chris Wilder was dismissed from his duties, and former Reading and Hull City boss Ruben Selles stepped in as his replacement, with the club keen to go down an AI-driven recruitment strategy.

To say it went poorly would be an understatement, with the arrivals of the likes of Mark McGuinness, Tahith Chong, Ben Godfrey, Louie Barry, and Chiedozie Ogbene proving to be disastrous.

However, they decided against pursuing a move for a certain England youth international defender, who instead thrived on loan with Stoke City this season, and they should look to write their wrongs during this window instead.

Sheffield United should look to reignite interest in Tottenham Hotspur defender Ashley Phillips after another successful Stoke City loan

During the summer window, the Blades identified central defence as an area of improvement to address.

With Anel Ahmedhodzic leaving for Dutch side Feyenoord and Jack Robinson for Birmingham City, the club was in desperate need of strength and depth in that area. Mark McGuinness, Nils Zatterstrom, Japhet Tanganga, Ben Godfrey, Ben Mee and Tyler Bindon all joined the club to reinforce that area for Selles.

Selles' side opted to sign each of those ahead of Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Ashley Phillips, whom they were linked with a £6 million swoop for after a successful loan spell with Stoke City, as per Alan Nixon.

Phillips, 19 at the time, came through the ranks at Blackburn Rovers and made the move to Spurs in the summer of 2023 for just £3 million, and subsequently spent time out on loan with both Plymouth Argyle and Stoke in the second tier.

The England youth international had thrived in the heart of defence in the Potteries across 35 league appearances for the club, and it was little surprise to see him attract interest from elsewhere as a result.

However, Stoke would return a second time for another loan spell, beating the Blades to his services, where he would go on to make 40 appearances this season, performing admirably despite an array of injury woes surrounding him.

Now, he is due to return to North London this summer, where his future will be assessed, and with Spurs retaining their place in the Premier League for another year after a tight relegation battle with West Ham United, they could be willing to sanction another exit over the coming months.

Under contract until the summer of 2028, how much Spurs would command for the defender remains to be seen, but Sheffield United should be joining the queue for his services this summer, having missed out on him last time around.

Wilder will be eager to add the necessary quality to his squad to ignite another push for promotion, and Phillips ticks the box for what he demands from a defender.

With Bindon returning to Nottingham Forest from his loan spell, Mee being released, Zatterstrom's future up in the air, and McGuinness failing to impress, defensive reinforcements will be a priority for Wilder, who should be looking to Phillips to fix that problem at Sheffield United.

Chris Wilder has a huge job on his hands this summer at Sheffield United, and should consider a swoop for Ashley Phillips

Having already announced the departures of Mee and Danny Ings at the end of their current contracts, the wheels are already in motion for this summer at Bramall Lane.

There will likely be many more departures between now and the end of the window, with the likes of Gus Hamer, Andre Brooks, Femi Seriki, and Sydie Peck all attracting interest from elsewhere, with all having the potential to depart.

As parachute payments expire, sales will need to be made to fund arrivals, as a deal for Phillips without departures looks unlikely, although Tottenham could theoretically sanction yet another loan as opposed to a permanent move for the ex-Blackburn man.

It's a big summer for the Blades