Football League World

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Jamie Donley tore apart League One with Leyton Orient last season, but since joining Stoke City on loan this summer in the Championship, things haven't exactly panned out the way anyone would have hoped.

Born in Northern Ireland but having grown up in Colchester, Donley joined the youth system of Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 and has progressed through the ranks with the Lilywhites, emerging as one of the club's hottest prospects.

The 20-year-old had scored prolifically for Spurs' youth side and earned a move to League One outfit Leyton Orient at the beginning of last season, in what was his first full taste of consistent senior football, and he did not disappoint.

Donley hit eight goals and ten assists in 39 third-tier games across the season, as Orient narrowly lost out in the play-off final to London rivals Charlton Athletic.

The highlight of his stay at Brisbane Road had to be his long-range effort against Manchester City in the FA Cup, which looped over Stefan Ortega in the Citizens' net, crashing off the crossbar on the way in.

Following his strike, City manager Pep Guardiola said, "When you concede this goal, it is just to congratulate the guy. I think it was Donley. He is an incredible left-foot player.

Expectations were set high for Donley, who drew interest from numerous Championship clubs this summer, but it would be Mark Robins' Stoke side that would get his signature. Though, since his move, it hasn't at all worked out.

Jamie Donley has barely featured on loan for Stoke City this season

Football League World's Stoke fan pundit, Pete, has shared their thoughts on whether they can see Donley heading back to Spurs this January, given his lack of game time, and how he has performed in the limited minutes that he has received.

Pete said, "I think it's widely expected by Stoke fans that he will be recalled by Spurs in January.

"He's found himself behind Lewis Baker, Bae Jun-Ho, and even Tomas Rigo, who can play in the number ten position, and I just don't see, barring any injuries, how he's going to get into the team, which obviously isn't going to suit Spurs; that's the reason why they sent him out.

"In terms of his actual performances, he's only played once, and that was at home to Bradford in the League Cup. We lost 3-0; it was easily our worst performance of the season, and other than the assist that he got on the opening day against Derby, he hasn't really shown anything in the very limited time that he has had.

"I think it would probably make sense for all concerned if he were to go back to Spurs and probably head out on loan to a different club for the rest of the season."

Jamie Donley will likely be recalled in January following an underwhelming spell with Stoke City

It is more likely than not that Donley will be recalled from his loan spell with Stoke this January.

The attacking-midfielder has made just four league appearances for the Potters this season, accumulating just 77 minutes of Championship football in that time.

His last appearance came in Stoke's 2-0 away defeat to Millwall in October, and since then, he has either been named on the bench or, more recently, not been named in the squad at all.

Donley has been left out of the matchday squad for the Potters' three most recent league fixtures, against Bristol City, Oxford United, and Coventry City. With no news surrounding any potential injuries, it merely appears as though he has fallen out of favour under Robins.

Each of Lewis Baker, Bae Jun-Ho, and Tomas Rigo have all appeared in the number ten role on occasion this season, leaving Donley's minutes severely limited.

Should this not change upon the return of the international break, it is difficult to see a scenario where the Northern Irishman remains in the Potteries for the rest of the campaign.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

After a slow start to the season, it has been an excellent few months for Notts County in League Two.

Notts County picked up just one point from their first three games of the season, and that led to many supporters expressing doubts about the appointment of head coach Martin Paterson, who was a controversial choice to replace Stuart Maynard in the summer given his poor previous managerial record at Burton Albion.

However, the Magpies have been one of the form teams in the division since then, and they picked up their fourth win in five games with a 2-1 victory at Cheltenham Town on Monday to move into the automatic promotion places, with goals from Alassana Jatta and Tyrese Hall securing all three points for Paterson's men.

While Jatta's recent form is no surprise, Hall's performances have been one of the biggest positives for Notts this season, and the on-loan Tottenham Hotspur midfielder netted his sixth goal in just 16 appearances for the club in the win over the Robins.

The 20-year-old has come up with a host of crucial contributions for the Magpies in recent months, including scoring a brace in the 4-0 win over Crawley Town in September and hitting a last-minute winner in the 1-0 victory at Barnet last month, but fears are increasing that he could be recalled by Spurs in January and sent out on loan to a higher division.

It is not the first time Notts have business with the Premier League outfit, with midfielder George Abbott scoring six goals and providing seven assists in 44 appearances during a temporary spell at Meadow Lane last season, and they will be hoping to convince Spurs to allow them to keep hold of Hall for the entire campaign.

Notts County concerns outlined over potential Tyrese Hall, Spurs recall in January

When asked if he is worried that Hall could be recalled in January, FLW's Notts County fan pundit Gareth Parr admitted he is concerned about the possibility of losing the midfielder, but he urged Spurs to consider the progress Abbott made during the second half of last season at Meadow Lane before making a decision on the England Under-19 international's future.

"Obviously there's always a chance," Gareth told FLW.

"He's still very young, and I don't think he'll ever feature in the Spurs first team, so there's no real risk in that regard.

"They could recall him, whether they will or not is the real question.

"Notts have a very good development relationship with Spurs, especially following on from what happened with George Abbott last season.

"In the first half of last season, George Abbott was actually quite quiet, it wasn't until the second half of the season where he truly blossomed and became the player that he ended the season.

"There's always hope that the same sort of thing could happen with Tyrese Hall.

"Yes, he's got half a dozen goals already this season, he seems to be linking up well with someone of the senior players, especially Alassana Jatta, but who's to say he can't go on and score 12 goals in the second half of the season and develop even more?

"Especially with Notts pushing for promotion, he could potentially be in a position to be playing the very best teams in the division for a properly competitive promotion spot.

"It could go either way.

"They could recall him because they feel he's developed enough already and move him on somewhere else or they could keep him in place and see just how much better he can get in the second half of the season like Abbott did."

Martin Paterson will be sweating about Tyrese Hall, Notts County situation

It has been an impressive few months for Notts County as Paterson continues to prove his doubters wrong, and Hall has been one of the standout performers during their current strong run of form.

When players perform well on loan in League Two, it is a common occurrence for their parent club to recall them midway through the season and send them to a higher level, but if Spurs were to take up that option with Hall, they could risk stalling his development if he does not receive the same level of game time elsewhere.

Hall has thrived working under Paterson at Meadow Lane so far, so Spurs should resist any temptation to recall him in January and allow him to remain with the Magpies for the rest of the season, particularly given the way Abbott improved last term as the campaign went on.

Former Bristol City attacker Antoine Semenyo is attracting interest from Premier League heavyweights Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City heading into the January transfer window, which will be of interest to the Robins as they hold a 20% sell-on clause.

As per Sky Sports journalists Lyall Thomas and Mark McAdam, the top-flight trio are all monitoring Semenyo’s situation at Bournemouth, as the Ghanian international continues to transform himself into one of the biggest talents in England’s elite division.

Semenyo emerged and broke through the youth ranks at Bristol City back in 2018, taking on loan spells at Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland for the first two years of his time with the Robins.

His breakthrough at Ashton Gate would arrive in the 2020-21 season, where he featured in 44 of their 46 Championship games, scoring two and assisting four under the stewardship of Nigel Pearson.

The following season would see a significant surge in his attacking contributions while playing fewer games, as he netted eight times and provided 12 assists from 31 matches, as a knee injury disrupted some of his campaign.

The 25-year-old’s final term with Bristol City would come in 2022-23, playing half of that campaign as he registered six goals and two assists from 23 appearances. He secured a move during the January transfer window to Bournemouth for a reported £10.5m fee.

Since his move to the South Coast, Semenyo has gone from strength-to-strength, most notably improving under current boss Andoni Iraola.

For the Cherries, Semenyo has provided 26 goals and 12 assists as he approaches a century of appearances for the club, and has already scored six times in 11 top-flight matches this season to raise the eyebrows of some Premier League giants.

In the near future, the winger could be making a big-money move to test himself at the very top of the game, with Bristol City set to be beneficiaries of this.

Antoine Semenyo linked with January move to Premier League heavyweights, as Bristol City hold commanding sell-on fee

As per a report by Sky Sports on their Transfer Centre page, journalists Lyall Thomas and Mark McAdam have outlined that Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring a move for Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo ahead of the January transfer window.

Semenyo signed a new contract in the summer amid interest from a number of clubs, including Spurs and Manchester United.

Reports began to surface that Semenyo had asked to leave Bournemouth at the turn of the new year, but they are believed to be false and the attacker is annoyed by those claims.

This is particularly of interest from a Bristol City perspective, as a report by Bristol Live in 2023 revealed the club will receive 20% of his next transfer fee when he eventually departs the Vitality Stadium.

A report by TeamTalk has revealed that Liverpool are considering submitting a bid of £70m to secure Semenyo’s services, meaning the Robins could recieve upwards of £14m if a deal is struck – a sensational amount for a Championship club.

Bristol City will be excited about a future Antoine Semenyo sale

Bristol City chiefs obviously saw what a talent Antoine Semenyo was from his time in the Championship with the Robins.

At the time, a £10.5m fee was almost too good to turn down as the game continues to be dominated from a financial point of view, with Championship clubs needing to find a way to sustain themselves without the blessing of parachute payments.

The hierarchy were very savvy to include such a high sell-on clause, and this decision is turning out to be a very smart one later down the line, particularly if the club can land that eight-figure sum.

Receiving those funds could be such a bonus for Bristol City this season, as they would be able to bolster the squad in January by adding it to their budget, as well as having the potential to trump rivals to transfer targets by having those extra financial resources.

Currently, Gerhard Struber is doing a fabulous job keeping the club on an upwards trajectory after he succeeded Liam Manning, and this added influx of cash could be exactly what they need to help them break into the play-offs or even push for an automatic promotion spot.

The Robins are certainly in a good place on the pitch, and their former academy graduate could prove to be a massive helping hand for their promotion hopes, provided he can seal a move away from Bournemouth in January.

It has been a magnificent start to the campaign for Preston North End, with loanee Alfie Devine showing quality throughout the opening couple of months, and now details have emerged with regards to how much the Lancastrians would have to pay to sign the Tottenham Hotspur man on a permanent deal.

Having narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of last season, following a collapse in the second-half of the campaign, Paul Heckingbottom was entrusted with an overhaul of the Preston squad over the summer.

That has seen Preston transform themselves from a perennial Championship also-ran to, seemingly, a potential promotion challenger as they sit tucked inside the top six and the play-off places after 13 matches of the campaign.

With a brilliant defensive record, whereby only Stoke City and Charlton Athletic have conceded fewer than North End, moments of quality in the final third are providing Preston supporters with plenty of reasons to finally get excited about.

At the heart of their attack, and all-round game, is Tottenham loanee Devine, but Preston would have to smash their club-record fee to bring in the 21-year-old on a permanent basis.

Preston would have to break club-record fee for Alfie Devine

Having beaten off competition from fellow apparent promotion contenders Millwall over the summer to sign him on loan, Alfie Devine has had a magnificent start to life at Deepdale.

It has now been reported by George Hodgson, of the Lancashire Post, that the buy option in Devine’s loan deal is worth £4 million.

The Wigan Athletic academy graduate, who has made a couple of first-team appearances for Spurs, has been highly regarded throughout his young career and now he is beginning to show it on a regular basis for a Preston side that would widely be regarded as punching above their weight.

With a couple of goals and a couple of assists so far this season, Devine is playing a key role as the creative outlet in an all-action midfield that consists of Ben Whiteman and Everton loanee Harrison Armstrong.

Devine, who has also had loan spells with Port Vale, Plymouth Argyle and Westerlo, is developing an industrious and hard-working edge to go with his excellent and now effective technical ability.

It may still be too soon for Preston to be certain they should take the plunge on a hefty fee for the youngster, but he is going some way to make it a must do deal for the club.

Alfie Devine would surpass the Milutin Osmajic transfer

Preston’s current club-record transfer fee paid is £2.15 million, which was the fee that they paid for Montenegro international striker Milutin Osmajic from Spanish side Cadiz in the summer of 2023.

The controversial 26-year-old is a fan favourite at Deepdale, having notched 26 goals in 90 matches for the club across all competitions since his arrival, including a career best season of 15 in 41 games last season.

Preston have often been frugal but smart with their recruitment and managing to poach Devine on loan has been another excellent example of that.

Heckingbottom has been given a gem of a player and is coaching and moulding him in to becoming a seriously effective asset at the top end of the Championship table.

Should Devine continue his form then Preston may well find their breaking their club-record transfer fee for the England youth international becomes a necessity, rather than a temptation.

Newcastle United are set to beat out Tottenham Hotspur and other top-flight interest to the signing of 15-year-old Barnsley centre-back Josh Kenchington.

According to Craig Hope from the Daily Mail, the Barnsley native has agreed to a deal with the Premier League side, which will allow him to continue his development with the Magpies.

There's plenty of hype around the young defender, who already stands north of six feet, with many dubbing him the 'next John Stones,' not only due to the two being born in South Yorkshire, but also for his potential to become one of England's best centre-backs in the future.

Having already made multiple appearances for England in his age group, the sky is truly the limit for Kenchington, and Eddie Howe's side will be hoping that he can realise that potential at St James' Park.

Newcastle United agree deal for 15-year-old Josh Kenchington

According to a Q&A by Craig Hope in the Daily Mail, Newcastle are set to bring in highly-rated centre-back Kenchington from Barnsley.

The Magpies have been reported to have beaten out the interest of a number of top-flight sides, including Tottenham, for his signature.

Despite being just 15, Kenchington has progressed rapidly throughout his short career at his boyhood club. Standing at over six feet already, the England U15 international is said to be "extremely comfortable on the ball," leading many to already compare him to Manchester City star John Stones.

Stones spent a season in the first team at Oakwell before he made his move to Everton in 2013, aged just 18, but Kenchington is making his Premier League switch already.

Despite the deal not formally being agreed just yet, a deal has been agreed with the Tykes, and anticipation is growing around the 15-year-old's arrival at St James' Park.

The sky's the limit for Josh Kenchington at Newcastle United

Whilst a lot of these deals that see academy stars switch between youth squads usually get swept under the rug, plenty of noise is being made about Kenchington's immediate arrival at Newcastle, and for good reason.

The 15-year-old has an enormous amount of potential, having dominated his age group at both domestic and international levels. The demands will increase now that he's at a top Premier League club, but plenty expect him to be able to exceed those expectations.

To be compared to one of England's best central defenders in recent times at such a young age is a big indication of where Kenchington's career is set to go, and you'd expect that, in a few years, those who lost out to Newcastle would be wishing they had increased their interest.

Kevin Danso won the Europa League with Tottenham Hotspur last season, having joined the club on loan from French side Lens in January. However, what people may not know is that this wasn't his first move to England, nor even his second.

Having been born in Austria, Kevin Danso and his family moved to England whilst he was still only six, and he would join the academy of MK Dons at Under-9's level.

He'd leave the club in 2014 without ever making a senior appearance for the Buckinghamshire outfit, joining German side FC Augsburg, where he would begin his professional football career.

He made his Bundesliga debut in March 2017 at 18 years and 165 days old, becoming the youngest-ever player to make their debut for the club, and just a week later, he signed his fresh four-year deal with the German side.

Despite his early promise, the Austrian failed to truly nail down a place in the starting eleven at Augsburg for the next two years, with a combination of injuries and competition from Jeffrey Gouweleeuw and Martin Hinteregger keeping him out of the side.

Despite his lack of game time, this did not deter then-Premier League side Southampton from signing Danso on loan with an option to buy in August 2019, with compatriot Ralph Hasenhuttl bringing him to the club.

MK Dons and Southampton never saw the best of Kevin Danso

Danso's time at St Mary's did not exactly go to plan, to say the least.

The Austrian's start to life on the South Coast could not have gotten off to a better start, playing the full ninety minutes in a 2-0 away victory at Brighton and Hove Albion on his debut, but unfortunately for him and Southampton fans, it was not a sign of things to come.

Danso would start the season playing as a left-back, and in only his second game for the club, he was sent off for two yellow cards in a 1-1 home draw to Man United, which was the beginning of his downfall.

Having missed the next game due to suspension against Sheffield United, Danso returned to the lineup at home to Bournemouth, but would be replaced at half-time by Ryan Bertrand in their 3-1 defeat.

He'd play just a combined eight minutes in the next three matches as he fell out of favour, but would be reintroduced to the starting eleven at home to Leicester City. What happened next effectively ended his Southampton career.

Southampton found themselves 5-0 down before the break, with Bertrand having been sent off in the 12th minute, and Danso was replaced at half-time in what was damage limitation for the Saints.

They'd end up losing 9-0 at home in what is the joint-biggest Premier League defeat of all time, and Danso would play just once more for the club before spending the rest of the season either out of the squad or warming the bench.

MK Dons never saw what Danso was capable of; Southampton saw him at his worst, and neither could have predicted the trajectory he would go on thereafter.

Kevin Danso has become a solid Premier League player since leaving MK Dons and Southampton

Danso spent the following season on loan with Fortuna Dusseldorf in the German second tier, where he found regular playing time, missing just two league games all season, followed by a move to Ligue 1 side Lens in August 2021.

The 27-year-old spent three-and-a-half years as an important player in the French side's back line, playing in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League during his stay in the North East of the country.

He'd join Ange Postecoglou's Spurs on loan in January 2025 and would make 15 appearances in all competitions as Spurs endured their lowest top-flight finish in 48 years, but would achieve European glory by lifting the Europa League.

Danso's move became permanent this summer for a fee of around £21 million, but under new boss Thomas Frank, he has so far been used sparingly, playing just 16 minutes of Premier League football so far this season.

James Maddison has taken a dig at Ipswich Town following their victory over Norwich City.

The two sides met to compete in the East Anglian derby last time out at Portman Road, with the Tractor Boys running out 3-1 victors.

Kieran McKenna’s outfit looked more likely to claim victory from minute one, controlling the ball and slowly breaking down Norwich’s defence. This pressure culminated in an opener courtesy of Cedric Kipre, who smashed home from a corner.

The Canaries responded almost instantly, as Oscar Schwartau’s strike from outside the box deflected past Alex Palmer to level the scoring.

Ipswich continued to enjoy the majority of chances however, and were back in front just before half-time due to a wonder strike from star winger Jaden Philogene.

Jack Clarke increased the Suffolk side’s advantage 13 minutes from time, which subsequently secured them all three points, boosting McKenna's men up to ninth in the standings and six points behind league leaders Coventry City.

This victory marked the first time in 16 years that Ipswich had beaten Norwich in the league, which has led to increased celebrations from all those involved with the club.

Norwich, of course, have endured a difficult start to the season under head coach Liam Manning, who is coming under ever-intensifying pressure, and suffering defeat in such an important fixture where, historically speaking, they've held the bragging rights, has only compounded the frustration surrounding Carrow Road at this moment in time.

Such acts of jubilation have caught the attention of people connected to the Canaries, including ex-player James Maddison.

Ex-Norwich City star James Maddison hits out at Ipswich Town following derby triumph

Maddison made over 50 appearances for Norwich City during the formative period of his career after joining from boyhood side Coventry City, with his 14 goals and eight assists during the 2017/18 Championship campaign enough to convince Leicester City to acquire his services.

It was at Carrow Road where the England international really blossomed as a player, and he still holds a large amount of good feeling for the Norfolk side as a result.

When Norwich beat Ipswich 1-0 in April 2024, in which the winning goal was rather ironically scored by no other than Marcelino Nunez, Maddison took to social media to revel in the victory, stating: "Just in case anyone needed reminding…East Anglia is & always will be yellow and green. 15 years now?"

Following the Tractor Boys’ recent win, the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder was reminded of this by an Ipswich fan, who quoted Maddison’s original post saying: "Any update on this?"

Never one to back down from confrontation, the former Norwich star replied: “1 win in 16 years. Have some shame son.”

Ipswich Town supporters will hope to have the last laugh this season

As Maddison stated, Ipswich have only just bested Norwich for the first time in 16 years, with the Canaries enjoying many more victories to celebrate in that time period.

The Tractor Boys have good reason to celebrate though, with this triumph a rare source of joy in an otherwise dismal 2025.

Although the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder can boast now, it may be McKenna and Co. who have the last laugh after 46 matches.

Ipswich’s squad is filled to the brim with talent, and they finally look like they are gaining some momentum in this Championship campaign.

If the Suffolk side can put their quality to good use and climb up the table further, there may be much less for Maddison and Norwich to fight back with, especially as the Canaries' struggles continue.

When young players go out on loan from the biggest clubs things can not work out, as Norwich City found to their cost in 2018, leaving them asking "what if?"

The raw talent in Marcus Edwards was visible from an early age. Put into the academy system at Tottenham Hotspur at just eight years old, by the time he signed his first professional contract with the club in 2016 at 17 years of age, it was in the face of a mountain of interest in him from elsewhere.

But when Edwards was sent out on loan for the first time, to Norwich City, things couldn't have gone much worse for him. He ended up barely even playing for them before returning to White Hart Lane amid a level of criticism that was unwarranted, given that he was only 17 years of age at the time, but given the progress that he's made since Norwich, fans may be forgiven wondering what might have happened had he stayed longer with them.

Marcus Edwards' loan at Norwich City from Tottenham was an unmitigated disaster

Born in Enfield, just a short distance from White Hart Lane, Marcus Edwards had the chance to be "one of our own." But expectations were high from an early age. Shortly before he made his professional debut for Spurs against Gillingham in the EFL Cup in September 2016, for example, the Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said of him, "His qualities … it’s only looks - his body and the way that he plays — remember a little bit from the beginning of Messi." By this time, his nickname at Spurs was already "Mini Messi." No pressure then, Marcus.

That match against Gillingham, but this turned out to be his only appearance for the North London giants. By the January 2018 transfer window, he was considered ready to go out on loan to fine-tune his obvious natural talent, and Norwich City was his destination.

But three months later, Edwards was back at White Hart Lane, his loan spell curtailed amid suggestions of an attitude problem. On the pitch, he managed just six minutes of football for Norwich City, and it took two months before he even got onto the substitutes bench for them. His sole appearance came at the end of March 2018, when he played the final six minutes of a 2-0 home defeat to Fulham which left them in 13th place in the Championship.

In the middle of April, he returned to White Hart Lane for ‘personal reasons.’ There had been criticism of his time-keeping, that he had been repeatedly been late, and that he hadn't been willing to integrate with the rest of the Norwich players. The viewpoint from Spurs was that Edwards was highly introverted.

But it was clear that the "next Messi" tag applied to him at White Hart Lane had not helped him. Admitting the loan to have been a failure, Spurs waived the remainder of the fees that would have been payable for the last few weeks of his time at Carrow Road.

Marcus Edwards truly found his feet in Portugal after Norwich City stint

In September 2018, Edwards was sent on loan again, this time to the Dutch club Excelsior, and despite the fact that they ended the season by getting relegated from the Eredivisie, he had a reasonably decent time of things, running up 25 appearances and impressing across the board.

But his time in North London was also coming to an end. The following September, he was transferred to the Portuguese side Vitória de Guimarães, and here he truly found his rhythm, making 95 appearances for them in all competitions before transferring to the Lisbon giants Sporting in February 2022. By the following September, he was playing Champions League football, and marked this by scoring an equalising goal for Sporting against Spurs in a group match.

He won the Portuguese Primeira Division in 2024, but returned to England the following January, signing for Burnley on loan. Having made 14 league appearances as the Clarets returned to the Premier League, it was confirmed that he would be signing for the club permanently. But his Premier League career at Burnley so far has almost matched what happened at Norwich. At the time of writing, he's made one league appearance for them from the bench so far this season, which lasted for nine minutes.

Marcus Edwards has had a stop-start career so far, and for Norwich supporters looking on at how things have been progressing for him since, there may well be a feeling that they could have got more from him than they did. One word that comes up a lot when reading about him is "misunderstood", and it may be that professional football doesn't have much understanding of or time for introversion as a character trait.

But that natural talent, the ability that got him compared to Lionel Messi in the first place, still exists, and it may be that he can get back to scale the earlier heights of his earlier career. It's just that it's unlikely to happen at Carrow Road, and in the unlikely event that it does, they may need more than six minutes to get the best of him.

Tottenham Hotspur loanee Ashley Phillips has not quite hit the ground running at Stoke City this season.

The 20-year-old impressed for the Potters last term, urging the club to secure another deal that would see the centre-back return to the Bet365 Stadium on loan.

Phillips has been limited to just 60 minutes of Championship football under Mark Robins during the early stages of the campaign, and Spurs may have to make a big decision about potentially recalling the youngster.

Alternative route may be best for young Spurs defender

The Welshman moved to Tottenham from Blackburn during the 2023 summer transfer window after a deal worth a reported £2 million.

Salford-born Phillips went on to make 18 appearances on loan at Plymouth Argyle during the second half of the 2023/24 season, before going out on loan again to Stoke the following term.

Phillips made his Blackburn debut at 17, and is obviously highly rated, given his 2023 move to Tottenham. Football League World's Rovers Fan Pundit Simon Middlehurst recently described the current situation as: "Really, really weird," going on to suggest that Phillips "made the wrong move."

Phillips impressed on loan at Stoke last term, making 35 Championship appearances as the Potters finished as low as 18th.

Since returning to the club, he has played just 60 minutes under Robins, while Stoke's excellent start leaves little room for Phillips to claim a starting place, with the Potters sitting in third place.

The defender is clearly talented, and Tottenham may be considering an alternative route for the defender in January, regarding another loan move that would see the defender play week in and week out.

Phillips needs game time - he may not get that at Stoke

For any young defender, game time is a necessity, and Phillips is not getting that at Stoke.

The youngster's underlying stats at Stoke last term suggest that the quality is there, and his 35 appearances match this.

In an underperforming Potter's side, Phillips blocked 1.3 shots per 90, 0.99 interceptions, and was dribbled past just twice in 3,082 minutes.

The notable areas in need of improvement are all aspects of the game that would undoubtedly come with experience and know-how. The 20-year-old won just 54.7% of his ground duels and 52.4% of his aerial duels last term.

However, with this in mind, a further run of consistent game time would only help when it comes to dealing with physical centre-forwards effectively. He most certainly has the frame, with his 6'4 stature, and experience will only add to this.

His 83.9% pass completion rate also does not tell the full story, with Stoke being far from a possession-based outfit last term.

Champions Leeds United attempted 27,267 passes, while only five sides registered a tally lower than Stoke's 19,228, with an average possession number of 46.7%. Stoke have since evolved under Robins, with the tally reaching 52.3% thus far this season - granted with a smaller sample size.

Despite the lack of minutes for Phillips in the season's early days, he still carries fantastic potential. However, he is unlikely to reach this at Stoke given the current circumstances.

A recall and subsequent move that is more suited to the youngster would be highly beneficial, and something that Spurs are likely to consider ahead of January.

Southampton will have few regrets about the way in which the club was run and how it performed in the early-to-mid-2010s, but missing out on the signing of Son Heung-min will always be quite a frustrating one for the south coast outfit.

Back in the summer of 2013, Mauricio Pochettino was embarking upon his first full season as manager of Southampton, having been controversially appointed to replace Nigel Adkins in January 2013.

Saints had finished 14th the year before but, with impressive recruitment and a continued strong youth development setup, they were determined to be ambitious and push on.

That season saw them finish eighth in the Premier League, narrowly missing out on European qualification, and continue to develop an impressive squad that saw three players, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert, all form part of England’s 2014 FIFA World Cup summer; with Jay Rodriguez only missing out due to injury.

It was a very good season for Pochettino and for Southampton, but there may well be a wonder as to how good it could have been had they brought in Son as well.

Son Heung-min opted not to join Southampton

In March 2019, Mauricio Pochettino revealed that Southampton tried to sign Son Heung-min from Hamburg and the Argentine even went as far as to suggest the move was ‘so close.’

Having began his professional career with Hamburg and made his debut in 2010, Son had quickly begun to establish himself as a very exciting prospect in the Bundesliga, especially with a 12-goal league campaign in the 2012/13 season, alerting Saints and Bayer Leverkusen.

Pochettino said: “We were very close but in the end he was so young and his family preferred, rather than leaving Germany and the Bundesliga, to keep him there and he preferred to move to Bayer Leverkusen rather than Southampton.”

It is believed that the fee to take Son from Hamburg to the BayArena was in the region of £8 million, and that obviously would have eventually represented incredible value for Saints, had they been able to get the deal over the line for themselves.

Instead, that summer saw Southampton make just three permanent additions with Dejan Lovren, Victor Wanyama and Dani Osvaldo, who was their club-record signing, brought in from Olympique Lyonnais, Celtic and Roma respectively.

So, it appears as though Son was deemed a ‘market opportunity’ for a smartly run Saints anyway, with no other players in his position brought in if they didn’t get their main target, Son, over the line.

Son Heung-min eventually earned Bayer Leverkusen a hefty fee

Having hit double figures in the Bundesliga in successive seasons for Bayer Leverkusen, they eventually managed to cash in on the South Korea international when he moved to Tottenham Hotspur, to finally link up with Pochettino, for a fee in the region of £18 million.

Making over 100% profit on a transfer in just two years is, naturally, a positive and impressive thing and, for most clubs, they will live with regret for having missed out on that – but Southampton aren’t necessarily most clubs in that regard.

For example, a year after missing out on the signing of Son, and the potential millions to be made therein, Southampton sold the aforementioned England trio of Shaw, Lallana and Lambert to Manchester United and Liverpool respectively, with the latter two heading to Merseyside.

As well as that, they also cashed in on Lovren, with the Croatia international also moving to Anfield, whilst Calum Chambers was sold on for a hefty fee to Arsenal, too.

That sort of level of recruitment and selling on high after buying low was something that Southampton were masters at, and Son wasn’t a once in a lifetime opportunity in that regard – but it would have been intriguing to see if he could have pushed them on from eighth in the 2013/14 season, and then seventh under the management of Ronald Koeman in the following campaign, after that mini exodus.

So, in the end, Southampton may not have been harmed too much from either a football or financial perspective - and yet there will still be a feeling that there could have been something extra special had Son joined. On the cusp of European football, Saints drew far too many games to really kick on - and Son could have been their point of difference before eventually delivering them yet another sizeable profit.