Speculation
According to a recent report, Arsenal are understood to be in the race to sign Leon Bailey in the summer. However, Bayer Leverkusen have slapped a hefty price tag of £100million on the collar of their highly-rated midfielder and apart from the Gunners, Chelsea and Manchester United are also keeping close tabs on the youngster.
Fact File
Bailey developed in the youth ranks of Phoenix All Stars Academy, FC Liefering and Trencin and showed a lot of promise right from his early years. He was signed by Belgian outfit, Genk, in 2015 and after a couple of promising seasons with them, German Bundesliga side, Bayer Leverkusen made him sign on the dotted line in the January transfer window of 2017.
Season So Far
The 20-year-old has been in red-hot form in the German top flight this season, having smashed 8 goals in 18 appearances and has also notched up 5 assists. Besides, he has also scored 2 goals in 3 outings in the DFB Pokal and no wonder Leverkusen rate him so highly. Reportedly, he is keen to ply his trade in the Premier League and this has alerted some of the top clubs in England.
Attributes
Bailey is blessed with blistering pace and tenacity. He can play on either side of the midfield and his passes and trickery makes it hard for the opposition to mark or stop him. He is a genuinely talented blossoming youngster and there is no denying that.
The Jamaican starlet is well-built and is a cunning player in the wide areas and his tendency to stretch the defence of opposition helps his side in creating havoc up front. He is good at jotting stupendous crosses from the flanks and constantly searches for opportunities to score goals as well as to create chances for his teammates. Considering his age, he will only get better in the coming seasons.
Should Arsenal Sign Him?
Although Bailey is not familiar with English football, he has shown with his calibre that he can succeed anywhere. He is an astute learner and given that Arsene Wenger has been perennially interested in nurturing youngsters, a move to the Emirates Stadium would make a lot of sense. Besides, the north London outfit have shown recently that they are no longer afraid to spend money when they see fit and considering Bailey can carry this form till the end of the season, Wenger might genuinely look to make a massive statement in the summer.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored