Bailey can help Aston Villa progress - Hinds
Published:Saturday | August 14, 2021 | 12:05 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
British journalist Rodney Hinds says that national winger Leon Bailey has the tools to help continue Aston Villa’s improvement in the English Premier League (EPL), as he prepares for his debut season.
Bailey, 24, joined Aston Villa from German club Bayer Leverkusen for a reported fee of £30 million and was unveiled at the club’s training ground on Thursday as the club prepares for its EPL season debut today against Watford (at 9:00 a.m. Jamaica time). His contract will last until 2025.
Bailey’s arrival comes off the heels of a 15-goal, 11-assist campaign in all competitions in his final season with Leverkusen, his best statistics for one season since joining the club in 2016. Additionally, his transfer comes as part of the recruitment to replace English international Jack Grealish, who joined Manchester City for a British transfer record fee of £100 million. Hinds, who writes for English newspaper, The Voice, says that, while he does not expect Bailey will be expected to fill Grealish’s shoes by himself, he will play a critical role in the continued progress of the club.
“I think Aston Villa are a club moving in the right direction. They have got lots of money to spend, I think they’ve got some good investors as well,” Hinds told The Gleaner. “Leon goes there as part of the package trying to replace the talisman who is Grealish. I don’t know he will do it on his own, but the club is making some really good purchases. I think it’s a really good move and, if he can help Villa build on what they did last year, I think everybody will be happy.”
Aston Villa finished 11th last year with 55 points, a 20-point improvement on their 2019/20 campaign where they finished in 17th place, narrowly avoiding relegation in their first season back in the English top flight.
Hinds says that Bailey offers head coach Dean Smith tactical flexibility in certain situations, but ultimately sees him being deployed as a winger, with his pace an important asset to how Villa will play this season.
“I can see Leon Bailey on the left or right (of the midfield). He obviously has the ability as well to go down the middle, depending on injuries or the team or match situation, and I think (it’s) that flexibility that makes Leon such an exciting prospect,” Hinds said. “
Smith says that he is looking forward to working with Bailey and, while Hinds says that it will take time for him to be a regular starter, Bailey will have the opportunity to prove himself with consistent minutes in the league and help the club achieve their ambitions for European football, ambitions that Bailey has openly expressed.
“The pace of the Bundesliga is great, but it’s not the same as the Premier League. There will be physicality, there will be tough challenges. I don’t expect him to see himself in the starting 11 on a regular basis too soon. But who knows? Dean Smith might throw a surprise or two,” Hinds said. “(Villa) are moving in the right direction and Leon could be a part of that. He has got the space to make a name for himself. So it’s about how good can he be and, more importantly, can he grab the opportunity?”