Why Everton should sign Leon Bailey to add more depth to their attack
According to a report from Sky Sports back in July, Everton had been mentioned among the Premier League clubs to be keeping tabs on Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey. Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United were also understood to be tracking the Jamaican, who was expected to be available for a fee in the region of £20m to £30m during the summer window.
Profile
Leon Bailey completed his footballing education at Liefering in Austria and AS Trencin in Slovakia before starting his professional career at Genk in Belgium during the 2015-16 season. He spent two full campaigns in the Belgian top-flight, registering 15 goals and 21 assists in 77 appearances before being snapped up by Bayer Leverkusen in January 2017.
After playing a bit-part role during the second half of the 2017-18 season, the Jamaican went on to establish himself as an integral member of the squad in the following campaign. Bailey plundered 9 goals and 6 assists in 30 Bundesliga appearances in 2018-19 and has since carved out a reputation for himself as one of the best young players in Germany.
Bailey hasn’t managed to hit the same heights over the past two seasons at Leverkusen but has still accumulated some decent goal returns. The 23-year-old has amassed an impressive tally of 28 goals and 19 assists in 126 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit in all competitions so far.
Bailey would add more firepower to the Toffees’ attack
Everton haven’t been short of goals early in the 2020-21 campaign – they have scored 19 times in 9 games so far – thanks to the prolific form of Dominic Calvert-Lewin up top. The 23-year-old is currently the top-scorer in the Premier League with 10 goals and has contributed greatly to the Toffees’ promising start to the season.
Calvert-Lewin has been ably supported by Richarlison on the left while James Rodriguez has also played his part perfectly. Everton, though, have lacked the same quality and incisiveness in their attack whenever any of their influential front three have been out of the mix.
The departure of Theo Walcott and Moise Kean on loan in the summer has left Alex Iwobi, Bernard and Gylfi Sigurdsson as the only attacking alternatives at Carlo Ancelotti’s disposal. And considering that neither of them has managed to make any significant contribution over the past 12 months, Everton should start looking at some quality back-ups to reduce the dependence on the mainstays.
To put things into perspective, Everton making a renewed attempt to sign Leon Bailey in January would add a lot more depth and quality to their attack. The Jamaican already has a lot of experience for a player aged just 23 while his excellent track record of goals and assists in Germany suggests that he’s ready to make the step up to English football.
Essentially a left-footed left-winger by trade, Bailey is also adept at playing on the right and through the middle as a supporting striker. Such a trait of versatility would facilitate quality competition for places in multiple areas across the forward line.
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Verdict
Leon Bailey has earned rave reviews for his development at Leverkusen and still has his best years ahead of him at 23. Playing under a charismatic manager like Ancelotti at Goodison Park will surely help him take his game to the next level. It should be a no-brainer for Everton to start keeping tabs on the explosive winger ahead of the January window once again.
