Bayer Leverkusen have finally revealed the price they would be willing to accept for their winger Leon Bailey and it is £100m. Maybe not the best news for Arsenal at the moment but still a direction they can choose to head towards. Arsene Wenger has already spent £55m on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and has also handed out massive contracts to Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil.
Then there are the entire contract situations of both Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere which is being handled right now. The fans do not need a revival of the entire Alexis Sanchez fiasco which eventually ended on a messy note. However, Wenger is still in the market for a wide man and a defensive addition and will have to monitor Bailey’s progress in the Bundesliga.
Bailey has been on an incredible run of form for the German side with 10 goals and 5 assists in 21 total appearances. After the departure of Javier Hernández, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Kevin Kampl, the Jamaican has emerged as one of the best-attacking components for Leverkusen. He breaks through the channels with an astounding burst of pace and has solid control of the ball with his dominant left.
He arrived at Leverkusen from Belgian club, K.R.C. Genk in the January of 2017 for a fee of £12millon. Bailey 15 goals and 21 assist in 77 total appearances for the Belgian outfit.
The Jamaican starlet is young and exuberant and might just be the perfect fit in Arsenal’s attacking jigsaw. He can be expected to take up Sanchez’s spot on the wing with the same attacking duties. Arsenal have already seen Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain move to another rival side Liverpool last summer and right after the departure of the Chilean international he can guarantee himself a spot in the first team.
Arsenal showed a glimpse of what the side’s attack is capable of against Everton last week as they thrashed them 5 goals to nil at the Emirates. Both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan made their debut starts and combined to score 1 and assist 3. The final third moved seamlessly to help Aaron Ramsey to his first club hattrick.
Bailey can be a perfect fit on the left wing as the pacey option while still accommodating the creative duo of Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan next to him. An out-and-out winger is more than necessary at the moment to provide the team’s attack with some width. However, with Chelsea and Manchester United also interested in the Leverkusen ace, maybe Arsenal will not go the extra length to get him.
