Why Chelsea should go all out to sign Leon Bailey in January
According to an earlier report by The Sun, Chelsea target Leon Bailey recently signed a new five-year contract with Bayern Leverkusen, which is supposed to keep him there till 2023. The 21-year-old winger was linked to a host of other Premier League clubs in the summer but a move failed to materialize.
Bailey started his senior professional career with Belgian outfit Genk and his stellar run in the 2015/16 season earned him a move to the Bundesliga. Since then, Bailey has made a total of 44 appearances for the German club across all competitions, netting on 12 occasions.
Bailey has hit the ground running in the current season as well, crafting several promising attacks and scoring a goal in the four appearances he has made in the Bundesliga so far.
Chelsea have also made a solid start to the season under new manager Maurizio Sarri. In fact, the new manager’s ‘Sarri Ball’ style of play has already become a hit in the Premier League. Not only has he managed to get the right results but has also extracted the best out of the abundant attacking resources at his disposal.
Eden Hazard has made a wonderful start to the season and has already scored five goals, including a hat-trick against Cardiff City. Pedro has rediscovered his mojo as a potent winger-cum-forward as well. Although Willian has only bagged a single goal so far, he has looked sharp down the right and has linked the play well with Hazard and Olivier Giroud.
Chelsea’s build-up play in the final third is largely based on the contribution of the wingers and the likes of Willian, Hazard and Pedro have worked tirelessly. Although the Blues have high-profile wingers in their team, they do not have the same quality of wide attackers on the bench. As a result, the manager hasn’t been able to rotate his squad enough in the Europa League games.
Given that Willian and Pedro are already on the other side of 30, Chelsea need some quality wingers on the bench to take the pressure off their shoulders. Also, they need to have cover and competition for the veterans, considering the lengthy and punishing schedule of the Premier League and the domestic cup competitions.
Leon Bailey should be the ideal option for Chelsea to bolster their squad depth. A player defined by incredible pace and agility, Bailey has the ability to inject life into the game and can provide that spark in the final third. His low centre-of-gravity allows him to control the ball. Furthermore, he can also weave past defenders through narrow spaces.
Not only does he have the ability leave defenders dumbfounded with his instant acceleration and mesmerizing dribbling skills but he is equally adept at linking the play and combining with other attackers from wide positions. A player with a keen eye for a pass, he has the vision to pick out the runs of his teammates with incisive through balls.
Another impressive thing about him is his work rate. He is not only a livewire in the final third but also tracks back with pace to dispossess the opposition and carries the ball forward from deeper positions. Hence, that makes him a potent counter-attacking threat.
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Bailey is definitely one of the hottest young properties in Europe at the moment and he should be a valuable asset to the Blues. Given that he recently signed a long-term contract with his current club, he will not come cheap and Chelsea will have to pay over the odds to land him. However, with the kind of promise that he has shown, he is definitely worth the investment.
