After an offer was accepted, it was believed that the 22-year-old would be moving to Portman Road. However, a recent HITC source indicates that Philogene’s previous team, Villa, is already in talks with the young talent to explore a return to Villa Park.
Because of a stipulation in the initial agreement that saw him transfer from Villa to Hull, the Villans were able to inject themselves into this trade.
Thus, it appears that Kieran McKenna’s team is now anxiously awaiting word on the location their target chooses.
Journalist David Ornstein had previously stated, before HITC’s story, that Hull had accepted the Tractor Boys’ £18 million deal for Philogene, and the player was scheduled to choose Ipswich as his new team and go through a physical.
Ornstein did point out that Villa had’matching rights’ over the teenage striker through Wednesday, July 10.
The option to repurchase Philogene for £15 million was included in the Villans’ summertime sale of the player to the Tigers. Hull was permitted by this condition to consider bids beyond that amount, but Villa had to be notified and given the opportunity to match any larger proposal that might be made.
These new revelations seem to refute the initial report that stated this condition would only become operative if Hull was promoted to the Premier League.
Prior to HITC’s story indicating that Villa had initiated talks, Ornstein stated that Philogene was scheduled to select Ipswich and Villa would honor his decision.
It implies that the Midlands club thinks they have a possibility of persuading the young player to return, which would be devastating to Hull right now.
Philogene continues to draw interest from other sources.
As newcomers to the Premier League, Ipswich already has a difficult task in trying to sign Philogene despite Villa’s attempts, but they also have other elite teams to worry about.
Everton and Crystal Palace have both been reported to be interested; the former even submitted a winning proposal; nevertheless, Philogene was rumored to have preferred Portman Road.
After an impressive debut season at Hull, where he made 32 Championship appearances and scored 12 goals and six assists, the 22-year-old is in high demand.
Given the possibilities that are believed to be available, the player’s strong show of faith would be required if the Tractor Boys were to win the race.
Ipswich could be the best bet for Philogene
As he has found with Hull, sometimes dropping down a level or not opting for the highest-ranked team available can really work in a young player’s favour.
It’s hard to imagine the winger would have caused a fight between three Premier League clubs to pay nearly £20million for his signature if he had remained on the periphery at Villa.
With eyes on competing in the Champions League and retaining their European place, it’s easy to imagine how Philogene might get lost at Villa Park.
At Portman Road, he is likely to find much more consistent Premier League minutes, providing him with the stage to prove what he can do at the top level, under a young and ambitious coach in McKenna.
As at Hull with promotion missed, if Ipswich fail in their objective of staying in the Premier League, Philogene may still give a good account of himself in the division and find himself in a similar scenario 12 months down the line.
No doubt Philogene has a lot to consider right now, but he has proven that he can make the right decision for his career before. Game time is far more important than the seniority of the club at Philogene’s age, as his past experience shows
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