Ipswich Town sign winger Jaden Philogene from Aston Villa for £20 million
Ipswich Town have finally got their man after confirming the signing of winger Jaden Philogene from Aston Villa for a £20 million fee plus add ons believed to be worth an extra £3m - though it has not come in time for tonight’s visit of Brighton & Hove Albion. (7.30pm, TNT Sports).
It is close to club-record equalling, however, we now understand it was £22m - not the reported £20m - that was paid up front for Omari Hutchinson to turn his loan spell from Chelsea into a permanent move in the summer.
Philogene, 22, joins the Suffolk club on a four-and-a-half-year deal as their second January acquisition having completed his second medical at Portman Road in the space of six months a week ago, with what Kieran McKenna described yesterday as a ‘complicated’ transfer eventually being confirmed late last night.
His summer move to the Blues collapsed in July after Villa exercised a clause in his September 2023 sale to Hull City to trigger matching rights. The England Under-21 international subsequently returned to the West Midlands in a reported £13 million deal, with the Blues having previously agreed with The Tigers for a double swoop also involved Jacob Greaves.
But after finding his game time - two starts and nine substitute appearances in the Premier League as well as one start and two sub outings in the Champions League - limited back at the club where he came through the academy, the Hammersmith-born player is excited to open a new chapter on his career under manager Kieran McKenna.
“I’m excited to be here and I know there are great players in the squad,” Philogene told the club website.
“I just want to play as much as possible. As a player I like to dribble and link up play and provide goals and assists. I’m looking forward to it.”
His confirmed arrival ends McKenna’s long pursuit to have right-footed Philogene, who is comfortable playing wide left or right, at his disposal, with Town first linked with him back in the summer of 2023, ahead of his move to then Championship rivals Hull.
The Suffolk side were reported earlier this month to have beaten Premier League relegation rivals Everton to his signature with interest also said to have surfaced from La Liga in Spain.
Philogene, who had reportedly attracted interest from Barcelona in the summer, joins versatile defender Ben Godfrey, who joined on loan from Italian Seria A outfit Atalanta, in making a January move to the Tractor Boys.
McKenna has also not made light of the club’s desire to bring in a striker to fill the number nine shirt left vacant after the summer transfer window concluded with Chelsea target Armando Broja ending up joining Everton on loan. The Albanian international has had a frustrating injury-hit spell on Merseyside so far.