Aston Villa are set to announce the signing of Jaden Philogene imminently however, what does the deal really mean for the player’s future?
Monchi and Unai Emery were forced to get work done early in the summer transfer window, as Aston Villa’s PSR concerns had to be addressed.
As a result, the duo offloaded three players to oust any risk of a financial breach, seeing Douglas Luiz, Tim Iroegbunam and Omari Kellyman depart.
Now, the club’s focus is on incomings, with two players poised to arrive at Bodymoor Heath this week, one being a familiar face.
Dan Bardell questions Aston Villa’s intentions as Jaden Philogene transfer edges closer
Jaden Philogene and Amadou Onana are set to complete their moves to Villa Park in the coming days.
Villa’s plot to capture Philogene was unique, considering the club only offloaded the 22-year-old last summer to Hull City.
The Midlands club activated their matching rights as Ipswich Town bid to sign the Championship star, with the winger now set to return to B6.
While the move is exciting considering what Philogene accomplished in the second tier last season, some have reservations about what Villa’s intentions are.
Discussing the transfer on the 1874 podcast were journalists Dan Bardell and Gregg Evans, who shared the opinion that Villa could be re-signing the forward for possible financial gain in the future.
Starting the debate, Evans said:
“Is it a good business deal? We know the player, we know he can come and make an impact but also he’s got the potential to grow in value as well.
“Villa’s deals over the last 12 months have been very different to what I’ve seen over the last decade, so many clauses have been inserted into contracts and we’ve seen some of the younger players moving on.
“They’re all sort of unusual deals and it’s a way to balance the books basically, to get more money into the club while maintaining some sort of control over the young talents.”
Bardell agreed with a stronger view on the pending transfer, where he admitted he believes ‘something funny’ is happening at the club regarding Philogene’s return.
“The cynic in me thinks there’s something funny going on and Villa might flip him at some point and try and make another profit which we know will help with PSR further down the line.”
Villa and Monchi will save a firm thought for PSR after this transfer window
If Villa were unable to offload the likes of Kellyman and Iroegbunam for total profit, Monchi would find himself in a difficult situation when it came to balancing the books.
Now, Villa are even more aware of the importance of nurturing young talent, with Philogene’s return suggested to have something to do with a future thought to PSR.
The 22-year-old is a product of Bodymoor Heath, with his pending return to the club giving Villa total control of his future once again.
Regardless of whether the winger will have a consistent spot to shine in Emery’s squad or not, the deal is a clever one from Monchi, who exercised Villa’s rights to the player expertly.
The Villans allowed Philogene to join Hull City last summer on a loose leash, seeing things play out to their benefit as he thrived in the Championship, contributing to 18 goals.
Having seen Premier League clubs take an interest in the youngster, it would have been foolish for Villa to not exercise their rights to the player, who could generate a significant sum in the near future.
