Aston Villa winger Jaden Philogene made the surprise return to Villa Park this summer.
Philogene was captured from Championship side Hull City a year after leaving Aston Villa.
The 22-year-old left to join the Tigers in pursuit of regular game time, successfully doing so by playing 32 times in the second tier, scoring 12 and assisting six.
It was such form that earned him a return to Unai Emery’s squad, who shelled out £13 million on the Englishman following his fine form under Liam Rosenior.
Philogene has since impressed in the Champions League against Bayern Munich while in the Premier League, he’s featured five times, starting one of those games in the goalless draw at home to Man United.
Last time out, Philogene was sent off in the win over Fulham after coming off the bench and will now miss the home clash against Bournemouth.
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Jacob Tanswell on how Jaden Philogene can reach the ‘next level’
With the options Emery has on the wings, including John McGinn, Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey, Philogene was always going to find it difficult to play regular minutes.
He’s played 145 minutes in his previous three top-flight appearances however, he’s failed to leave his mark in attack, making zero key passes, creating no big chances and only registering 0.8 shots per game.
The England under-21 international has showcased his defensive work rate and appetite to help his full-back but to reach the ‘next level’, journalist Jacob Tanswell wants to see more from him in the final third.
He wants to see the fleet-footed winger take more risks and play with an arrogance that earned him a burgeoning reputation at Hull last term.
Speaking on the 1874 podcast previewing Villa’s clash against Bologna, Tanswell said: “I think Philogene, like you say, I really want to see a lot more from him in 1v1 areas. I think he’s done really well. I think he’s really quite calm, safe on the ball.
“But I think he’s got a lot more to him. If you saw the clips from Hull last year, he was playing with his arrogant back heels.
“There’s a little shot he had over the bar at Fulham, where he just dinked his body so quickly and got a shot off.
“It went over the bar, but I thought, that’s the type of sharpness in around the box, the type of risk-taking I want to see. So I’d love for him to start from the off. I think he’s playing within himself, but still quite good.
“I think he can get to that next level quite immediately.”
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Jaden Philogene’s Hull City stats
Philogene emerged as one of the best wingers in the Championship last term and often played with an arrogance that showcased his greatest attributes.
From his incredible solo run and finish against Preston to his audacious rabona that went viral in the win over Rotherham United, the 2002-born winger was capable of producing the spectacular.
Philogene is yet to reach that ‘next level’ at Aston Villa but as he finds his feet in the Premier League, his statistics last term are a timely reminder of his exceptional talent.
| Jaden Philogene Hull City 23/24 per 90 stats | Percentile rank vs Championship wingers |
| 0.38 non-penalty goals | Top 13% |
| 3.69 shots | Top 3% |
| 4.88 progressive carries | Top 8% |
| 2.79 successful take-ons | Top 7% |
| 5.79 touches (Att Pen) | Top 9% |
| 10.78 progressive passes received | Top 10% |
| 2.50 tackles | Top 4% |
Indeed, the above table delineates the wingers’ attacking talent against other Championship wingers, perhaps filling fans with confidence that blockbuster performances are just around the corner.
