Hull City should follow Middlesbrough's footsteps if Jaden Philogene moves to Spurs: View | OneFootball

Jaden Philogene has been one of the Championship's key performers this season after joining Hull City in the summer - and it has seen him register interest from elsewhere.

The Tigers winger showed signs of promise last season at Cardiff City on loan, but an increased responsibility at Hull this season has seen him come out of his shell in an attacking system - with Tottenham thought to be interested.

Another player who impressed at second-tier level before joining the Lilywhites was Djed Spence, who left Middlesbrough - and they had large amounts to spend upon his exit.

But Hull could potentially follow in their footsteps in how they replaced Spence by doing the same with Philogene.

Djed Spence had an almighty season in the Championship whilst on loan at Nottingham Forest from Middlesbrough; and whilst he was part of the team that saw the Reds return to the Premier League after a 23-year absence, he was still on Boro's books. T

hey could have used him last season under Michael Carrick, though he was sold to Tottenham for £20million - a huge fee for clubs at Championship level.

Spence hasn't played much for the north London outfit, but it's what Middlesbrough did with that money that will perhaps give Hull ideas. Instead of spending the money on a Spence replacement, they utilised Isaiah Jones instead, who was already on their books.

This gave them money in the bank to source replacements elsewhere - and Hull could do the same.

If Philogene does leave, many will likely be queueing up to replace the London-born talent given the career path he's gone down over the past few months - but having signed Turkish star Abdulkadir Omur in the winter window, they may already have a ready-made replacement where they could instead strengthen in other areas.

Omur had scored 22 league goals in just 175 league games for former club Trabzonspur in the past, including winning the Turkish top-flight title in the process; and at the age of just 24, he still has much more to offer on a development note.

Jaden Philogene transfer news latest

A report from TeamTalk on Monday suggested that despite Aston Villa's suggested buy-back clause on Philogene after letting him join the Tigers in the summer, Tottenham now lead the race for his signature.

Having only moved to East Yorkshire in a deal worth around £5million, Hull will obviously be looking to gain some sort of profit on the winger after his dazzling performances since moving to the MKM Stadium - and that will likely be around the £15million mark should Villa make a return given that that figure is the reported agreed fee for that situation.

The publication further states that should any team bid above that, Villa would have to match that price tag if they are to complete a deal for Philogene’s return - and Hull vice-chairman Tan Kesler further admitted that Philogene’s buy-back only becomes activated if the Tigers are promoted to the Premier League following a seven-year absence.

Tottenham are thought to have made regular checks on Philogene throughout the season, though it’s likely he would fall behind Brennan Johnson, Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski in the pecking order.

Other options including Antonio Nusa - who was denied a move to Brentford in January - and PSV’s Johan Bakayoko have been looked at though Philogene is now seen as their first-choice.

Hull City's chances of promotion analysed

A solid summer transfer window saw many tip Hull for the top half of the table, though not many would have tipped them to do as well as they are doing. Just 11 losses from their 34 games shows the sign of a team who are defensively solid, with only the top five and Coventry City losing less games all season - and with 50 goals to their name, they rank as one of the top-scoring sides in the league.

Moreover, it’s the attractive style of football that Liam Rosenior’s side play that is one of their main draws - and the loan signings of Anass Zaroury and Fabio Carvalho in the winter only go to show just how big a pull the club have. Having failed to finish in the top half in each of their seasons since being relegated from the top-flight in 2020 - including a stint in League One - it marks a welcome change.

They do face a tough run-in with the likes of Leicester, Coventry, Leeds and Ipswich still to play, but having taken four points from games against Southampton and West Brom over the course of the last week, the Tigers should have high hopes for now.