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Unai Emery could undo Aston Villa mistake by triggering Jaden Philogene-Bidace transfer
Since he arrived at Aston Villa, Unai Emery has received very little criticism from supporters as he has taken the club from strength to strength.
When the Spaniard arrived at Villa Park they were in the midst of a relegation battle and since then he has transformed them into a European outfit who are well and truly in the hunt for the Champions League places after an impressive start to the season.
But one decision that may come back to bite Emery and Villa, is the call to sell Jaden Phiogene-Bidace to Hull City this summer, as the young winger has taken to life with his new club exceptionally well and has become one of the best players in the division.
The 21-year-old has registered three goals and four assists in the nine Championship matches he has played in so far, including four goal involvements in his last four starts as he settles into life under Liam Rosenior at The MKM Stadium.
Philogene-Bidance has been one of the best creators in the division and falls in the 97th percentile of all Championship wingers and attacking midfielders for assists registered per 90 minutes, with an average of 0.45 a game [Fbref].
This isn’t just a case of his Hull teammates scoring every half chance that the former Aston Villa man creates for them either, as he is only just underperforming his expected assisted goals rate of 0.54 a match, better than 84 per cent of his positional peers.
The winger is absolute livewire on the ball as well, averaging more than three successful take-ons per game, a figure that sees him sit in the 95th percentile of wingers and more than five progressive carries a match, leaving him in the top 13 per cent of attackers in the division.
In terms of his own goal threat, Philogene-Bidance has overperformed his own xG by some way, scoring three times from only 1.89 xG, but that only reinforces just how good a finisher he is, as he often converts chances that he should probably be missing [Fotmob].
Defensively, the 21-year-old works hard and places in the 93rd percentile for tackles completed per 90 and the 91st for blocks per game, showing that he isn’t afraid to work hard and help his teammates when they’re out of possession.
Aston Villa have been impressive themselves going forward so far this season so haven’t missed the winger’s skill too often, but with the intense upcoming fixture schedule and the possibility of another season of European football, Emery may want to bring him back to Villa Park.
Luckily it has been revealed by Hull’s vice chairman Tan Kesler that Villa can move to buy back the 21-year-old for £15million, should the Tigers be promoted [Yahoo Sport, 23 September].
Whether or not Rosenior’s side make it to the Premier League, Emery may be tempted to try and re-sign Philogene-Bidance if he continues to flourish in the Championship.
In other Aston Villa news, Ollie Watkins has shown he is worth so much more than just his goals with a 100 per cent display against Luton Town