Aston Villa could have another Jack Grealish on their hands with inspired £15m summer swoop

Hyperbole and sensationalism, two ever-so-tempting tendencies that call to journalists like Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin mask in Spider-Man: No Way Home; write the hysterical headlines, revel in the excitable clicks, take over the world, etc etc. But I want to make it very, very, very clear that this is not that. The claim at the top of the page may be a big one, but it is also entirely earnest: if Aston Villa do re-sign Jaden Philogene, they could indeed have another Jack Grealish on their hands.

As things stand, the situation is thus; Philogene started his career with Villa, rising through their academy system before amassing a smattering of appearances for the first team. Loan stints Stoke City and Cardiff City would follow, to varying degrees of success, before, quite unexpectedly, he was allowed to leave Villa Park on a permanent basis over the summer.

Ever since, he has been terrorising the Championship for Hull City, vaporising full-backs and scoring goals that often defy logic, reason, and the accepted etiquette of polite society. His recent wonder strike against Rotherham United, now officially awarded to him, will almost certainly be a contender for the Puskas Award - again, no hyperbole whatsoever.

That goal was one of eight that Philogene has scored in 20 outings this season, with a further six assists attached to his name too. He is increasingly proving himself to be one of the most individually gifted talents in the entirety of the Football League, and whether it is with promotion-chasing Hull or another club, he feels destined to return to the Premier League sooner rather than later.

Indeed, according to a report from TEAMtalk, Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race for his signature, with the 22-year-old closely fitting the profile of several of their other recent acquisitions - young, affordable, and brimming with promise. But to that end, Villa may also still have a say in his future. Speaking to supporters back in September, Hull vice-chairman Tan Kesler confirmed the existence of a £15 million buy-back clause in Philogene’s contract, but was quick to emphasise that it only applies if the Tigers are promoted to the Premier League.

Now, that could well happen. At the present moment in time, Liam Rosenior's men are sixth in the table, and unbeaten in four. If they aren't in the running for play-off place at the very least come the end of the campaign, something will have gone horribly wrong.

But even if they don't go up, Villa should really consider bringing Philogene back to the club in the relatively near future. Over the course of this season, he has flourished into one of the most impressive and mercurial attacking firebrands in the country, and the player he perhaps brings to mind most readily is an emerging Jack Grealish.

Like Philogene, Grealish got his real break in the Championship, and like Philogene, he bewitched the division with his nonchalant trickery and technical chicanery. What's more, the former Villa talisman was of a similar age to Philogene when he really made his mark on the first team picture for his boyhood club - Grealish wouldn't play in excess of 20 league games for the Villans in a single season until 2016/17, the year that he turned 21. And already, with eight goals to his name, Philogene has matched Grealish's best ever goal-scoring campaign in senior football. If he doesn't add to that tally between now and May, it will be a minor miracle.

In short, the shared trajectory of the pair is remarkably similar, even if the exact circumstances of their respective rises are a little different. And, of course, there is still plenty of time for divergence. The realistic likelihood is that Philogene will never be deemed a £100 million player, or win a domestic and continental treble over the course of his career. But believe me when I say that he has a better chance than most.

The Hull City starlet is shining brightly, and it might well be the case that Villa are compelled to do a little bit of back-tracking and bring him home to the place where it all began. If they don't, another of their top four rivals could benefit immensely.