Ipswich’s Jaden Philogene sends cryptic message, Ian Maatsen reacts at Aston Villa
Aston Villa defender Ian Maatsen has reacted to a message from Ipswich winger Jaden Philogene on social media.
The 23-year-old winger agreed a deal to join the Ipswich last summer, before Aston Villa swooped in to sign Philogene instead.
After a sluggish start to life at Villa Park, the winger was once again the subject of a bid from the Tractor Boys, this time in January.
Philogene joined Ipswich in the winter transfer window, netting the Villains a tidy profit and the England U21 winger finally made the move to the relegation-threatened side.
Ian Maatsen reacts to message from Jaden Philogene
During the international break, Philogene joined up with England’s U21 squad for matches against France and Portugal.
The winger started against France in the 5-3 defeat, assisting exit-linked Man City starlet James McAtee, before coming off the bench in the 4-2 win over Portugal.
Philogene took to Instagram after the games to post a series of images, one of which was captioned: “Only you can write the next chapter”.
The winger’s former Villa teammate, Maatsen, liked the post showing support for his young teammate.
Ipswich in good position long-term despite imminent Premier League relegation
Football Insider Verdict
Ipswich were rank outsiders for promotion from the Championship last season, but under Kieran McKenna, the Tractor Boys completely usurped expectations.
As a consequence, there were genuine concerns the team would suffer a record-breaking season, for all the wrong reasons.
Although they are almost guaranteed to go back down this season, Ipswich have proven themselves more than worthy of their spot in the top-tier, especially when compared to Leicester and Southampton, who came up after finishing first and second in the second tier.
The financial benefits from spending a season in the Premier League will be very handy next year, but almost more importantly, McKenna has been able to prove that his side are likely only a few signings away from being able to establish themselves as top-flight regulars.
Whilst dissent and uncertainty dominate the Foxes and the Saints, Ipswich have a strong squad and an incredibly capable manager ready to bounce back next season.