Why Ipswich Town's £20m investment in Jaden Philogene could pay off bigger than expected | OneFootball

Jaden Philogene's £20m price tag could pay off in spade if he keeps up his current form

Ipswich Town’s £20 million investment in Jaden Philogene could still pay off massively for the Championship club.

It was reported in January of this year that the Tractor Boys agreed a deal worth £20 million with Aston Villa in order to finally sign the winger after previously seeing an attempt in the summer fall on deaf ears.

The winger was unable to make much of an impact in his initial first six months at Portman Road, with the team ultimately suffering relegation from the Premier League with a 19th place finish.

The forward contributed just two goals from 10 appearances in the top flight, as Kieran McKenna’s side slumped to just 22 points from 38 games.

With their sights now set on an immediate return to the Premier League, Philogene could prove his worth if he can maintain his current form, which could play a crucial role in propelling the Suffolk outfit back to the first division.

Jaden Philogene can still live up to £20 million deal

Philogene’s price tag was looking quite a mistake earlier this year when the forward struggled to adapt to life in the top flight.

He had been unable to make much of a mark with Aston Villa when he rejoined the Midlands outfit as part of a buyback clause, but it was clear he was never particularly part of Unai Emery’s first team plans.

This was a big setback in his development, and meant he had to join Ipswich midway through the campaign instead of getting to be a part of their full preparation for the Premier League.

Now that they are in the Championship, and he’s had that pre-season to get properly bedded into the club, the 23-year-old is again thriving and showing why Kieran McKenna was so keen to sign him in the first place.

Most notably, he scored a hat trick against Sheffield United in September in a 5-0 win, but goals against rivals Norwich City, as well as Portsmouth and Watford also show his quality.

The winger has contributed six goals and one assist from 15 appearances in the Championship, and he has asserted himself as a key part of the manager’s plans.

Ipswich had a rocky start to the campaign, but their recent form has propelled them into promotion contention, sitting just three points from the automatic promotion places.

Jaden Philogene’s attacking threat

Philogene is proving a really strong threat in the final third for the Tractor Boys, as he is taking 3.21 shots per game, while also creating 3.79 shots per 90 for his teammates (all stats from Fbref).

The forward’s 3.79 touches in the opposition area per 90 so far this season also show that he is consistently getting into dangerous positions.

These are promising numbers to show in the Championship, and he continues to improve as he builds more confidence in McKenna’s side.

If he can keep this up and play a key role in Ipswich earning promotion, then the £20 million fee paid to sign him will have proven worth it.

And given he is still only 23, it’s very possible that his performances will begin to attract interest from clubs elsewhere, and be worth even more to the club in the future.

If that is the case, then Ipswich will have an easy time making a profit on that eight-figure sum, should they decide to cash in.

It was claimed that Philogene had interest from clubs in Spain prior to his move to Portman Road, so the market to go abroad could also open up to him further if he can maintain his momentum and continue to develop under McKenna.

The £20 million paid to sign the ex-Aston Villa player looked a big risk last January due to his lack of minutes under Emery, but his performances this season are starting to show why it was justified.