Adam Phillips (footballer)

Adam Lee Phillips (born 15 January 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Barnsley.

Adam Phillips

Phillips training with Liverpool in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Adam Lee Phillips[1]
Date of birth	(1998-01-15) 15 January 1998 (age 27)[2]
Place of birth	Garstang, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Barnsley
Number	8
Youth career
0000–2009	Blackburn Rovers
2009–2017	Liverpool
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2019	Norwich City	0	(0)
2018	→ Cambridge United (loan)	4	(0)
2018	→ Hamilton Academical (loan)	0	(0)
2019–2022	Burnley	0	(0)
2020	→ Morecambe (loan)	11	(4)
2020–2021	→ Morecambe (loan)	25	(8)
2021	→ Accrington Stanley (loan)	22	(2)
2021–2022	→ Morecambe (loan)	38	(6)
2022–	Barnsley	114	(29)
International career
2013	England U16	2	(0)
2014	England U17	3	(1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:05, 3 August 2025 (UTC)

Playing career

Liverpool

Phillips joined the Liverpool Academy from the Blackburn Rovers Academy at the age of 11 in 2009, and would spend the next eight years with the club. At the age of 16 he appeared in a pre-season friendly with Brøndby IF under Brendan Rodgers in 2014, but later struggled with a recurrent back injury.^[3]

Norwich City

He was released in May 2017, and signed a two-year contract with EFL Championship club Norwich City two months later following a trial period.^[4] On 4 February 2019, Norwich City announced that Phillips contract had been cancelled by mutual consent.^[5]

Cambridge United (loan)

On 3 January 2018, he joined EFL League Two side Cambridge United on loan until the end of the 2017–18 season, a move which Norwich under-23 manager Matthew Gill described as "the next step on his path".^[6] He made his debut in the English Football League for the "Us" on 13 January, in "an uneventful goalless draw" with Mansfield Town at the Abbey Stadium.^[7] He featured in three further matches before dropping out of the first-team picture as manager Shaun Derry lost his job; however Gill stated that "a manager change is one of those real-life scenarios so I think what he's getting exposed to now is fantastic".^[8]

Hamilton Academical (loan)

He moved on loan to Hamilton Academical in July 2018.^[9] The loan was cancelled in August 2018, after Phillips had made two cup appearances.^[10]

Burnley

In August 2019, he joined Burnley on a one-year contract following a successful trial.^[11]

Morecambe (loan)

On 2 January 2020, Phillips joined Morecambe on loan until the end of the season, alongside fellow Burnley player Ryan Cooney.^[12] On 29 February, he received the first straight red card of his career after a late tackle on Crewe's Perry Ng in the 94th minute.^[13] He contributed with 4 goals and 3 assists in 11 League Two matches.

On 12 August 2020, Phillips rejoined Morecambe on loan until the end of the season.^[14]

Accrington Stanley (loan)

On 1 February 2021, Phillips joined League One side Accrington Stanley on loan for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.^[15]

Return to Morecambe (loan)

On 27 July 2021, Phillips went again to Morecambe on loan.^[16]

Barnsley

In September 2022, Phillips joined Barnsley on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee .^[17]

Phillips was awarded the EFL League One Player of the Month award for February 2024 having scored four goals in five matches, assisting a further three.^[18]

Career statistics

As of match played 20 April 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Norwich City	2017–18[19]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2018–19[20]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
Cambridge United (loan)	2017–18[19]	League Two	4	0	—		—		—		4	0
Hamilton Academical (loan)	2018–19[20]	Scottish Premiership	0	0	—		2	0	—		2	0
Hamilton Academical U21 (loan)	2018–19[21]	—			—		—		1[a]	0	1	0
Burnley	2019–20[22]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2020–21[23]	Premier League	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
	2021–22[24]	Premier League	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
	2022–23[25]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
Morecambe (loan)	2019–20[22]	League Two	11	4	—		—		—		11	4
Morecambe (loan)	2020–21[23]	League Two	25	8	3	1	3	1	2[b]	0	33	10
Accrington Stanley (loan)	2020–21[23]	League One	22	2	—		—		—		22	2
Morecambe (loan)	2021–22[24]	League One	38	6	1	0	2	1	1[b]	0	42	7
Barnsley	2022–23[25]	League One	35	8	3	2	0	0	6[b][c]	0	44	10
	2023–24[26]	League One	41	11	2	0	0	0	1[b]	0	44	11
	Total		76	19	5	2	0	0	7	0	88	21
Career total			176	39	9	3	7	2	11	0	203	44

1. Appearance in Scottish Challenge Cup
2. Appearances in EFL Trophy
3. Appearances in EFL League One Play-Offs

Honours

Individual

• EFL League One Player of the Month: February 2024^[18]
• Barnsley Player of the Season: 2023–24^[27]