Who is Leon Bailey? The former Man Utd target now wanted by Aston Villa

 

Not content with the high profile arrival of Emiliano Buendia from Norwich, Aston Villa are maintaining their push for another attacker this summer amidst links with a move for Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey. Whether viewed as a Jack Grealish replacement or a statement of intent capture to convince the Villa captain his future is best served at Villa Park, links with a big money move for Bailey should excite supporters. 

 

It wasn't too long ago that Bailey was on the radars of the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, while in the build up to the 2018 World Cup, there were even rumours that England would attempt to convince the winger to switch allegiance from Jamaica to the Three Lions. Ultimately they proved wide of the mark, with Bailey now a fully-fledged Reggae Boyz representative, but such was his form in a Bayer Leverkusen shirt in the season leading up to Russia 2018 that he was touted as a long-term solution to their winger issues. 

 

In the seasons that followed, though, Bailey fell off radars across Europe. He lost his starting spot with Bayer Leverkusen, particularly in 2019/20, where he started just 12 league matches, with Moussa Diaby and Karim Bellerabi ahead of the Jamaican in the pecking order. However, in the wake of the departures of Kai Havertz and Kevin Volland to Chelsea and Monaco, respectively, attention turned back to Bailey to help carry the Bayer Leverkusen attacking threat and he duly obliged. 

 

The 23-year-old scored nine times, matching his goalscoring exploits of 2017/18, and registered a further eight assists, his best return in a league season, as Bayer Leverkusen finished sixth. With Bailey's stock soaring once more, the Bundesliga side may be willing to cash in on the winger, with a reported £30m bid from Villa in the offing. 

 

So what would Villa be getting for their money with Bailey? Well, first and foremost, an excellent ball carrier, more than capable of ghosting past an opponent on a whim. Indeed, only three players completed more dribbles than Bailey (74) in the Bundesliga last season, while a successful dribble evey 29 minutes was, of those to make 30 or more appearances, better than any other player in Germany's top tier.

 

 

And considering Bailey's goal and assist return under Hannes Wolf, they put to rest any issues about a lack of end product. In fact, last season Bailey's average of 2.4 shots per 90 was his joint-lowest in a Bundesliga campaign, while key passes per 90 (2.0) was also commendable. What was crucial though is that passes per 90 were a modest 32.6, the third highest in a Bundesliga season, and a pass success rate of 78.1% was actually his highest in a Bayer Leverkusen shirt. 

 

This suggests that Bailey's decision making is improving with each passing campaign as he finds better options when in possession. This is again noted in that 1.3 dispossessions per 90 was his lowest in a league season for Bayer Leverkusen as Bailey looks for a teammate with greater frequency and tries to do less when in possession, a tact that worked well as he earned a WhoScored rating of 7.26, his second best in a Bundesliga campaign. 

 

The issue would be where best to deploy Bailey should Villa secure his services. Operating largely from the right in 2020/21, this is a position that Emiliano Buendia thrives in having been used from the right in Norwich's successful Premier League return. That said, both players offer differing threats from out wide. Buendia is more a number 10 on the right flank, using his vision to great effect when he gets on the ball, whereas Bailey is a more conventional modern winger, so it's not impossible to rule out the possibility for the former being used behind Ollie Watkins and the latter out wide to stretch opponents. 

 

Having supposedly switched targets from Emile Smith Rowe to Bailey, Dean Smith could now opt for a system with Bailey on the right, Grealish on the left and Buendia through the middle, particularly if he sticks with a 4-2-3-1 system. The concern would be whether Bailey is now viewed as a replacement for Grealish. The 25-year-old has been heavily linked with a big money move to Manchester City this summer, with Villa desperate to retain the services of their captain. 

 

A move for Buendia was the perfect start to the summer for the Villans, especially as they beat Arsenal to the Argentine's services, and Bailey would offer an alternative threat down the right flank, a neglected area for the Midlands side in 2020/21. For good reason, 44% of Villa's attacks came down their left last term, the second highest in Premier League. Meanwhile, just 31% came down the right, the lowest in England's top tier, and, if they can keep Grealish, there would be greater unpredictability to the Villa offensive in the coming campaign. 

 

The proposition of a frontline consisting of Bailey, Buendia and Grealish behind Watkins is a mouth watering one for fans and if Smith's side can get a deal over the line for the former, then it would be a major coup for this Villa outfit and one that would boost their chances of a European finish.

Who is Leon Bailey? The former Man Utd target now wanted by Aston Villa