Can Leon Bailey live up to his potential and become a viable FPL asset at Villa?

We assess the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) credentials of new Aston Villa midfielder Leon Bailey (£6.5m) in our latest Scout Report.

The Villans struck a deal with Bayer Leverkusen moments after their friendly win over Bristol City on Saturday with the club announcing their new arrival earlier today.

The Jamaican winger’s capture follows the signings of Emiliano Buendía (£6.5m) and Ashley Young (£5.0m), although Jack Grealish (£8.0m) is seemingly heading out of Villa Park and bound for Manchester City.

Bailey scored 39 goals and supplied a further 26 assists during his time in Germany as well as playing in both the Champions League and Europa League. 

Villa head coach Dean Smith said: 

Leon is a hugely exciting young striker with great pace and creativity.  He has enjoyed a successful career at Leverkusen and we are now looking forward to watching him show his skills and talents for Aston Villa in the Premier League.

The addition of Bailey suggests it will be an exciting season at Villa Park, but what exactly will he bring to Dean Smith’s side and where does he fit in?

We’ll attempt to answer those questions and assess his potential FPL worth in the article below.

THE HISTORY

Bailey started out in Jamaica at footballing school Phoenix All-Star Academy before heading to Europe in search of a club.

Having tried his luck in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands, the youngster impressed during a trial at KRC Genk. However, the Belgian side were unable to offer him a contract due to FIFA restrictions on signing under-16 players.

Without a club, Bailey returned to the Caribbean, but his break arrived soon after when he signed for Austrian side FC Liefering and then Slovakian outfit AS Trenčín.

Such was his level of performance that he was then snapped up by Genk, where he swiftly became a fixture in the starting XI and went on to win the Belgian Young Footballer of the Year award in 2015/16, before Bayer Leverkusen paid €20m for his services in January 2017.

Having spent several months getting used to his new surroundings, he lit up the Bundesliga in his first full season in Germany, registering nine goals and six assists as he was named Newcomer of the Year by the VDV, Germany’s version of the PFA, and was also included in the Bundesliga Team of the Season.

Despite a slight dip in the two seasons that followed, Bailey rediscovered his best form in 2020/21, bagging 15 goals and setting up a further 11 in all competitions.

BAILEY’S BUNDESLIGA RECORD AT BAYER LEVERKUSEN:

Above stats from WhoScored

At international level, Bailey has had something of a rocky relationship with the Jamaican football association, but finally made his senior debut against Honduras in June 2019 and has since gone on to represent his country on 10 occasions.

THE PROSPECTS – AND WHERE DOES HE FIT IN AT VILLA?

“Leon, like all players at Phoenix academy, are developed to play at all three points of attack. He can play on both feet; cut in from the right and onto his left; cut in from the left onto his right. He can play on both sides of the pitch. His favourite position is right wing but he will do whatever’s in the best interest of the team. Leon is superb at free-kick, dead-ball and corner situations.” – Craig Butler, stepfather and agent

Bailey is an extremely quick and versatile attacker who is comfortable playing on either flank.

However, he predominantly featured on the right wing of a 4-3-3 formation at Leverkusen last season, where he was able to cut inside onto his stronger left foot.

Above: Bailey’s 2020/21 season heatmap, via Sofa Score

FURTHER READING