27th Mar 2024 • Written by Tom Reynolds

Jaden Philogene: Potentially Palace

As the season progresses, and transfer rumours begin to swirl ahead of the summer window, one thing becomes ever clearer for Palace fans – at least one major sale seems to be on the cards to fund the Oliver Glasner project.

Last summer saw Palace fend off a potential transfer for Olise, but such a move seems inevitable this time. Alongside Olise, who has been reported as a target for Manchester United, Eberechi Eze’s name continues to be floated as a potential sale for Palace, with Manchester City and Tottenham both interested in acquiring his services. Palace’s star duo have contributed 43 goals and assists in the last two seasons, and finding their potential replacements will be at the forefront of Dougie Freedman’s mind.

Many names have been touted as successors this summer, but hot off the press is 22-year-old Hull City winger Jaden Philogene. With eight goals and six assists in 23 appearances, the England youth international looks like one of the Championship’s hottest prospects. Given Palace’s history of signing young talent from the EFL, this transfer echoes those of Eze, Olise, and Wharton in past windows. As Palace look to move to "the next level", finding adequate replacements for top talent is necessary – so how does Jaden Philogene fit into the club’s wider vision?

Who is Jaden Philogene?

Jaden Philogene was born on the 8th February 2002, and joined Aston VIlla’s academy in January 2018. His impressive performances in the academy saw him involved with Villa’s first team, making his debut in May 2021 in a 2-1 away win at Spurs. Off the back of his performances, he became a regular in England’s youth teams, and earned a series of Championship loan moves, heading to Stoke City before spending a season at Cardiff City. Here, Philogene’s talent started to show, contributing five goals and an assist for Cardiff in all competitions.

This loan put him firmly in the sights of Hull City, who signed Philogene for around £5m at the start of the 2023/24 season. Under Liam Rosenior, Philogene has rediscovered his goal-scoring form from academy football, and is setting the Championship alight with his performances. His incredible form has helped Hull challenge for a place in the play-offs, with his talents displayed week in, week out – he looks destined to go straight to the top.

What does he bring to the table?

After their 2-1 win over Rotherham, Rosenior described Philogene as having “ridiculous” ability, while also praising his work rate in training, describing him as a "top player" due to the fact "he works so hard on his game." This work rate can be seen in his defensive statistics – he averages 2.3 tackles per game in the Championship this season, the 21st highest in the division, despite being a winger. To put this into comparison, Olise is averaging 1.3 tackles per game this season and has been lauded for his defensive contributions. However, Philogene's defensive prowess is not the main feature of his game – his attacking numbers are the real deal breaker.

Image: Joe Giddens/PA Wire

With eight goals in 23 games, Philogene’s eye for goal is clear to see. With seven of these coming in the Championship, he stands as one of the highest scorers in the division - impressive for a winger who has missed eleven games with injury. As well as this, Philogene is not afraid to shoot, having had nearly 90 attempts so far this season. Whilst this makes his goal return a little less impressive, it shows a determination within him to keep working space to shoot, no matter whether he scores or not. With Palace having had one of the lowest shot counts in the Premier League this season, Philogene’s desire to take a risk and shoot would be a welcome addition for the Eagles. This eagerness to shoot may also see Philogene thrive under Glasner - since his arrival, Palace have found more joy from their wing-backs crossing - and any knockdown to Philogene would likely head towards the net.

However, his passing play is a weak point for Philogene. As a winger, he looks to drive past his man and either get a shot away, or play through a teammate. Compared to Eze and Olise, who he would likely replace, Philogene’s progressive passing statistic could be a concern – being in the 17th percentile for wingers. This could be explained by his position on the pitch as a winger, as opposed to playing in a more narrow ten role under Glasner. He would provide a more direct approach and goal threat than Olise and Eze, but would be less creative than the pair. Despite his lack of creativity, he still averages 1.8 key passes per game, which indicates that he has the potential to be a more creative player under Glasner, which would pair well with his obvious goal threat.

Is he a realistic target?

Given Palace’s past transfer activity in the Championship, Philogene perfectly fits Palace’s transfer model of signing young, value for money prospects with high potential and resale value.

However, there is a potential obstacle in his acquisition – Aston Villa have first refusal rights, and can purchase him back from Hull for £15m should the Tigers be promoted. Given the Villians will likely lose Zaniolo as his loan ends, and may need to sell big to fall within FFP limits, signing Philogene back may be shrewd business for the side from the West Midlands. However, this should not deter Palace in their approach, due to Philogene’s obvious talent and relatively assured return on investment.

The next steps

For now, Palace’s best move would be to continue to track Philogene’s progress this season. Having had a lengthy spell out a with knee injury this season, missing eleven matches, Palace would be well advised to track his recovery from this injury, as well as evaluate his proneness to injuries before making a signing. Should he recover well, and avoid injury for the rest of the season, a summer bid for Philogene would be an acute acquisition for Palace, especially should Olise or Eze be outbound. He has the work rate and determination to fit into the system, and the talent to help take the club to the next level.

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