Could Jaden Philogene really return to Aston Villa?

Express & Star

Matt Maher and Jonny Drury discuss the news that Aston Villa have activated a clause allowing them to match any future offers from Premier League clubs.  Philogene left Villa for Hull last season for £5m and after a superb season is attracting Premier League interest.  Ipswich have had an £18m bid accepted - and Villa have now activated their match clause in a bid to bring him back to Villa Park.  Matt discusses the latest development and how likely it is the winger will return to the club.

Transcript

00:00Matt, news has emerged this week that regarding Jadon Fillerjean, who left Villa last summer,

00:12went to Hull City, had a very good season in the Championship, is subject of international

00:17mixture. It's time a bid has been accepted by Hull, an £18m bid. But Villa, as was I

00:23think explained when the deal went through last summer, they had a sort of buy-back clause,

00:27buy-back option in there, which they seem to have exercised. I know it's been written

00:34that Unai Emery was sort of a big fan of Fillerjean when he came in. What have you made of this

00:38sort of development and what do you believe his chances might be of returning to Villa

00:43Park?

00:44It's difficult to say. He's a player they didn't want to lose last summer. Unai Emery

00:49was keen for him to stay. But it was very much Fillerjean's decision to go. He wanted

00:56more regular game time than he was going to get at Villa. So he went to Hull in a deal

01:01that did help Villa out in terms of profit and sustainability, but not that much. I mean,

01:07the Aaron Ramsey and Cameron Archer deals were far more lucrative, particularly the Ramsey one.

01:15So the deal that sent him to Hull included not a buy-back clause, but kind of a matching

01:22clause, which meant if any Premier League club bid for him, then Villa would be notified

01:30by Hull and have a certain amount of time to match the bid, which they have done today.

01:41That until the end of today, Wednesday, to enact the clause. So that's what they've done.

01:47You know, ultimately now it's down to, you know, Fillerjean. It looks like he's got a few

01:54options, doesn't it? Perhaps not Barcelona, as was mentioned at one stage last week.

01:59But certainly, you know, Ipswich, Villa and Everton as well, you know, very keen to get him.

02:09Yeah, I think he's watched his space at the minute. You know, he's clearly, you know,

02:14obviously last summer would have been a big decision to leave Villa, you know, the club that

02:18he, you know, came up to the ranks, you know, and just at that point where he looked like he was

02:23going to be breaking into the first team, you know, he played. He came on as a substitute in

02:26the 5-1 defeat at Newcastle, was involved in pre-season. So he probably would have got

02:32opportunities, you know, last year. You know, obviously since then, Leon Bailey, you know,

02:38on the right wing has, you know, kind of transformed his Villa career. So I mean,

02:44Fillerjean may look at that and think, well, actually it's even a harder job now because,

02:48you know, last year you were looking at, you know, Bailey's future was uncertain. I mean,

02:53now he's one of the first names on the team sheet. So to play every week, he's got to almost get him

02:59out of the team. But then it's, you know, the decision whether he goes to Ipswich,

03:05where he might get, you know, more game time, but could end up back in the Championship

03:10in 12 months, or Everton. I mean, it's interesting. Yeah, it's very complex.

03:20Difficult to, you know, difficult to predict really, you know, get inside. It's difficult,

03:26impossible to get inside, you know, his head and work out what he's going to do.

03:29But I mean, Uno Emery kind of, you know, would love to have him back at Villa. So

03:34Villa have got the offer, you know, Champions League football. So we shall see.

03:40You know, it's another winger, and they've got plenty of wingers at the minute. I mean,

03:44they're overloaded with wide players on the left, almost. But following that, you know,

03:49there was Simon Lewis-Dobbin from Everton earlier in the summer. But, you know, yeah,

03:54he's a player that they like, and that they would like to bring back if possible.

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