Aston Villa winger Jaden Philogene is reportedly set to join Ipswich Town in a deal worth in excess of £21m.
After coming through our youth ranks and impressing, the 22-year-old made his breakthrough with the first-team under Dean Smith in 2021.
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Loan spells followed as he continued to gain experience and develop his game, but a permanent move to Hull City was sanctioned in 2023 before Unai Emery opted to bring Philogene back to the club last summer, having seemingly been left impressed by the youngster’s talent and potential.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone to plan for all concerned, as the Villa forward has made just 15 appearances so far this season, and has failed to contribute either a goal or assist in those outings.
With a lack of consistency, confidence and chemistry with his teammates in the senior Villa side, Philogene impressed with his work ethic and commitment to the job being asked of him by Emery, but he was ultimately unable to make a lasting impression from an attacking perspective with his play in the final third.
In turn, talk of an exit built as we entered the January transfer window, and now Fabrizio Romano reports that a deal has been agreed between Villa and Ipswich which will see Philogene join our league rivals in a switch worth £21m plus add-ons.
Further, he will travel to Ipswich and undergo his medical on Thursday morning, and so it now appears as though his time at Villa is over, for a second time, and perhaps this will be a permanent departure with no third chance.
Naturally, as with any young talent, there is a risk that we will now see Philogene flourish in the Premier League elsewhere, but ultimately it’s unlikely that happens with us given the competition he faces, and it will hopefully now give Emery and the management team financial flexibility to go out and sign an upgrade to bolster our attacking options.
Should the figure above prove to be accurate, it’s great business from a Villa perspective given Philogene has yet to really deliver on his potential at the top level, and so hopefully that will be reinvested sensibly with a player coming in who can make the difference, both in the more immediate and long-term future.
