Tottenham is interested in Hull City’s Jaden Philogene, and a move for the winger would be in line with the team’s transfer philosophy.
Jaden Philogene of Hull City has been the team’s star performer thus far this season as manager Liam Rosenior attempts to lead the Tigers to a top six Championship finish.
Hull’s current position in the Championship play-offs is largely due to Philogene, who has contributed significantly to the team’s success. With just 20 league games under his belt, his impressive total of eight goals and six assists is remarkable.
Although it appeared risky to pay such a high price for the 22-year-old, Hull paid £5 million to Aston Villa for the player, who spent the previous season on loan at Cardiff City. However, the Tigers have found an incredible value who will earn them their money back and more in the years to come.
Premier League clubs’ interest in the former Villa forward is not surprising, given how good he has been thus far this season.
Tottenham Hotspur linked with transfer for Philogene
Philogene, who only joined the team in the summer, may depart Hull later this year after spending just one season at the MKM Stadium. Spurs have been linked to the 22-year-old.
Philogene might sign with Spurs among regular starters Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min as well as wingers Brennan Johnson and Manor Soloman, as the club has lately added a lot of wingers to its roster.
The deft winger appears to be a target for the North London club, according to TEAMtalk, who claims he matches Ange Postelogcu’s ideal player profile.
This curiosity stems from the fact that new manager Postecoglu has made an impression in his debut season in the Premier League and is rapidly establishing his own style of play and personality inside the team.
With so many young players joining the team in recent months, Philogene has the potential to be an important member of the squad.
This season, players such as Micky van de Ven, Brennan Johnson, and Destiny Udogie have all entered the first squad and made an impression, demonstrating the kind of faith the Australian manager has in players that are a specific age or younger.
A transfer move for Philogene makes sense for himself and Tottenham as well
If Spurs are that interested in the guy, they will have no trouble making a deal for him even though his contract has a repurchase clause.
The team still has a £15 million option to sign the player after he left Villa in the summer.
That only goes into effect, though, if Hull is promoted to the Premier League; if another team makes a bigger offer, the Midlands team will have to match it.
Hull is now sixth in the Championship, but given the performance of teams like Southampton, Leeds United, and Ipswich Town thus far, it is unlikely—though not impossible—that the Tigers will move up.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium appears to be the perfect venue for Philogene to enhance his game while playing to his abilities and with his own style of play, especially because Spurs give wingers like Johnson and Son space out wide to attack.
According to his season’s data, the Hull attacker is more at ease with the ball at his feet, averaging 3.07 dribbles per ninety minutes in the Championship.
In spite of Hull being one of the lowest scoring teams in the top half of the table, Philogene has assisted on 33% of the Tigers’ goals thus far. He has also created 1.82 chances per game and is among the top 11% of players in the league with his 0.31 assists per 90 minutes.
The player’s main concern is playing time, although it doesn’t seem like it will be a major problem for him at Spurs.
Even though the team’s spots were limited at Villa, the club will have more opportunities to play at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In addition, the club may play in the UEFA Champions League, if not another minor European competition, which would provide plenty of opportunities for playing time in addition to domestic cup competitions.
This season, Postecoglou has occasionally deployed Son as a striker in addition to using right-winger Kulusevski in an attacking midfield role, especially while Maddison is sidelined due to injury.
But if Philogene can play as well as he did at Hull, there may still be room on the wing for him to battle for and get a spot.
He is content to pick up the ball on the wing, either left or right, and use his speed and cunning to defeat a guy before creating an opportunity for himself or a teammate. This quality may help any side and is becoming increasingly uncommon in contemporary football.
Even if Spurs are unlikely to be able to get Philogene for the £15 million Villa can if Hull win promotion, it would not be shocking to see them try to recruit him in the summer.
Philogene is a highly-rated player who may immediately prove to be a significant asset for Tottenham, making him a very affordable alternative even though his valuation is likely to be closer to the £25 million figure.
