Aston Villa manager Unai Emery says £18million summer signing Jaden Philogene could leave on loan because the winger’s “adaptation is going slower than we wanted”.
Villans academy product Philogene returned to the club on a five-year contract in July after impressing during a season at Hull City, who signed him for an undisclosed fee in September 2023.
The 22-year-old has not started a Premier League match in almost three months and has not featured in Villa’s last four matches.
🗣️ Unai: “We start the new year focused on our match against Leicester, starting at home at Villa Park. We had a really good year, but we tried to separate ourselves last year, last season and this season. pic.twitter.com/1zHjrQ9iSz
– Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 3, 2025
Philogene: Villa “believes in potential”
“He didn’t show his potential in the first six months he was with us, under different circumstances,” Emery said via Birmingham live.
“He played important matches [by starting] against Bayern Munich [in the Champions League on October 2] and Manchester United [in the league four days later].
“At that moment, he [had the] the opportunity to show your progress. He did not do it clearly and [he has been] I play less, but I believe in its potential.
The Boss about 2025: “It’s a challenge and our challenge is to also try to improve, to increase our level, our requirements and our standards in everything.” pic.twitter.com/5jwUAgT1kU
– Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 3, 2025
Philogene Transfer: Loan “an option”
Villa agreed a deal with Hull for the option to match any offer for Philogene, equating an offer from Ipswich Town and leaving the player to decide which option he would pursue.
They received around £5million after he joined them on a 30% sell-on clause, and Ipswich are likely to be one of the clubs tracking Philogene’s availability.
“[A loan] It’s an option for him and for the club because many clubs are interested in him,” Emery said. “They believe in its potential.
“We are not close [to agreeing a loan] and as a coach I don’t really want to let him go, but we are talking about the different options.
“My conversation has always been to be patient, to take time to make things better. The adaptation is taking place more slowly than we wanted, but the objective remains, in my opinion, [for him] to improve and help us here. Now that it’s January, it could be an option for him and the team to let him go.
Ipswich Town are interested in Aston Villa striker Jaden Philogene and are keeping tabs on his situation. Ipswich agreed a deal with Hull City to sign him this summer only for Villa to trigger a matching clause. Philogene has started 4 matches in all competitions this season. #ITFC #AVFC
– Dharmesh Sheth (@skysports_sheth) January 2, 2025
Villa vs Leicester
Philogene and central defender Diego Carlos will miss Leicester City’s Premier League visit on Saturday (3 p.m. GMT) due to minor injuries.
Defender Pau Torres is expected to be out for around two months after fracturing a metatarsal in his foot, while midfielder Morgan Rogers and striker Jhon Duran are suspended until the trip to Everton on January 15 (7:30 p.m.).
Ninth-placed Villa are unbeaten in nine home league matches, although their three-match winning run at Villa Park ended in a 2-2 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday.
