Aston Villa have confirmed that Jaden Philogene has left the club to join Ipswich Town, in a deal said to be worth in excess of £20m.
The 22-year-old came through our youth ranks and enjoyed loan spells elsewhere as he continued to gain experience and develop his game through the early part of his career.
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His stint at Hull City was a turning point in particular though, and his form there convinced Unai Emery and Villa to bring him back to the club last summer as we exercised an option included in the deal when he initially departed.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out this season as hoped, as he was limited to 15 appearances across all competitions and failed to register either a single goal or assist in those outings, and the club have now confirmed that he has left to join Ipswich.
While his work ethic and desire couldn’t be questioned, it was clear that Philogene was lacking confidence and belief in his attacking play, and with Villa needing more from him, or at least a player in that specific role, a change was ultimately needed this month.
Having already announced the signing of Donyell Malen, Villa have essentially upgraded in that area of the squad with an option that likely suits Emery’s style of play and ideas more effectively, while we’ve balanced the books and brought in a really impressive fee for Philogene.
According to The Athletic, Ipswich have paid £20m to acquire him, with £3m in add-ons included in the agreement, and so that is a significant fee to balance out our outlay on Malen.
It’s a development that suits all concerned, as Villa receive a decent fee, improve the squad by bringing in the Dutchman to bolster our attacking options, while Philogene will likely have a more prominent role at Portman Road to showcase his quality and fulfil his potential.
Perhaps it will be a decision that Villa regret in the long-term, but given what we saw through the first half of this campaign having brought him back for another chance, and the money involved, it has to be seen as the most sensible decision from Monchi and our management team, and hopefully we’ve come out of it more competitive and ready to challenge for honours this season and beyond.
