Jaden Philogene decision emerges at Aston Villa amid behind-the-scenes Willian comparisons
Aston Villa have enjoyed a superb transfer window on the back of their superb Premier League campaign last time out.
One area that manager Unai Emery has bolstered is the final third, with exciting winger Moussa Diaby joining from Bayer Leverkusen.
He is undoubtedly set to land a spot in the first-team from the very first whistle, but one player that may just keep him on his toes next season is youngster Jaden Philogene.
The academy graduate has spent the last two seasons away from Villa Park, having been loaned out to Stoke City for the second half of the 2021/22 campaign and Cardiff City for the full 2022/23 campaign.
However, a first-team role has been mooted for the youngster for the upcoming campaign, with Daily Mail journalist Tom Collomosse writing on Twitter (1 August): “As Emery alluded to in recent hours, Villa leaning increasingly towards keeping Philogene around, at least for the first half of the season.
“His style reminds some at the club of Willian. Big chance for him in the early weeks.”
He has returned to Villa after 39 appearances in all competitions for Cardiff last season, where he registered tallies of five goals and one assist.
One of the 21-year-old’s five strikes came in January in the 2-2 FA Cup third-round draw with Leeds United, a Premier League club at the time.
And that was undoubtedly one of the attacker’s best displays for the Bluebirds, with Philogene boasting a Cardiff-high match rating of 7.4, as per SofaScore.
The winger impressed massively at both ends of the pitch, with his goal accompanied by seven tackles, two interceptions, an 80% accurate pass success rate, and the winning of 10/18 duels.
There is, of course, plenty of time remaining in the summer transfer window for another loan exit to be carried out, but at this moment in time it seems that the youngster will be part of Emery’s plans for the near future.
In other Aston Villa news, one pundit has predicted Villa Park exits after a multi-million development at the club.