Wales keen to get Ashley Phillips to switch allegiance from England
Wales are trying to persuade Tottenham defender Ashley Phillips to switch international allegiance from England.
Salford-born Phillips, who has a Welsh mother, was capped by Wales at under-16 level before representing England at various age grades.
Phillips began his career at Blackburn before joining Tottenham in August 2023 and was on the first-team bench eight times the following season without making his Spurs debut.
The 20-year-old is currently on loan at Stoke, where he has made over 70 appearances across two spells for the Sky Bet Championship club.
Phillips was in the England U21 squad in November and also qualifies for Nigeria, but the Press Association understands Wales have made contact with the centre-back to convince him that he has a big future with them.
Wales are in World Cup play-off action this month with a semi-final against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff on March 26.
The winners will play Italy or Northern Ireland at home on March 31 to decide a place at this summer’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Manager Craig Bellamy names his play-off squad on March 17 and, if Phillips accepts Wales’ offer to join them, he would be named in it.
Wales have injury issues in defence with skipper Ben Davies ruled out after breaking his ankle in January.
West Brom centre-back Chris Mepham has also been absent for over a month because of a hamstring problem.
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If English-born Ashley Phillips prefers not to represent the country of his mother’s birth, that’s his prerogative. And sure, he could earn a handful of caps if picked for England, but it’s a distinct possibility that his career there might be short-lived, whereas with Wales he could enjoy longevity and become a pivotal part of the Welsh squad.
It probably all depends how “Welsh” the player really feels. He has represented Wales at, I believe, Under 16 level before so there is obviously some sort of affinity there. He is presently on loan at Stoke, from Spurs, and has been made the Potters Captain at twenty years of age. Getting him back in the Wales fold would be a real coup, he could be a Welsh international footballer for the next twelve years or more.