Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard thought about promoting Jaden Philogene-Bidace to his Premier League squad but, according to TEAMtalk, the teenager is heading out on to Stoke City instead.
It’s hard to believe Aston Villa swaggered into the January transfer window with Philippe Coutinho at the top of their winter wishlist.
The Barcelona loanee feels like the very definition of an ‘opportunist’ signing. Like the deal that took Cristiano Ronaldo back to Manchester United at the end of August.
It was, to put it simply, an opportunity Gerrard and co could not afford to turn down.
Coutinho’s shock return to English shores is not good news for every member of the Aston Villa squad, however, even if his elite-level talents have raised hopes of a European push.
Take Anwar El Ghazi. The former Ajax star has been forced to join a now-managerless Everton on loan.
Trezeguet, meanwhile, now feels as out of place as a tape deck in a Tesla. Turkish giants Galatasaray have entered talks to sign a man they were desperate to land back in 2019, before Aston Villa pipped them to the post.
Does Jaden Philogene-Bidace have a big Aston Villa future?
According to TEAMtalk, Philogene-Bidace might have forced his way into Gerrard’s plans during the second half of the season.
Dean Smith’s Villa Park successor had considered handing the 19-year-old whizzkid a first-team role, despite the fact that Philogene-Bidace has played just four minutes of Premier League football in the last five months.
Coutinho’s sudden arrival has put pay to that, however.
Gerrard will now sanction a short-term loan deal for the England U20 international instead. A host of Championship clubs are keen with Stoke City currently leading the chase.
The report adds that Gerrard is an admirer of Stoke boss Michael O’Neill, particularly his work with talented youngsters like Philogene-Bidace.
From Villa to Stoke?
“He’s a right footer but he plays off the left,” Philogene-Bidace’s former coach Ahmed Abdulla tells the Birmingham Mail. “He can come inside or go on the outside. The model winger.
“He hugs the touchline and can beat his man. (He’s) very confident and very light on his feet and skips past tackles. He’s very strong and outstanding in one-v-ones.”
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