According to a recent report by The Daily Express, Liverpool will face some strong competition in pursuit of Bayer 04 Leverkusen wide player Leon Bailey this summer. The same source has also stated that the Reds will have to fight off interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal in the chase to land the Jamaican playmaker in the off-season. It is believed that the Blues boss Frank Lampard is planning to make an £85m to bring Bailey to Stamford Bridge in the summer, so it won’t be easy for Liverpool to fend off Chelsea’s interest and win the race to sign the Jamaican international (via The Daily Express).
Bailey’s Impressive Rise At The BayArena
The 22-year-old has enjoyed another fruitful campaign at the BayArena having already bettered his goals tally from last season. He has scored seven goals in 22 matches for Leverkusen this term across all competitions. However, he has struggled to be creative in the final third and has just one assist to his name so far. Therefore, there is still a lot of room for improvement in his game, so a change of scenery could help him take the next step in his career.
Bailey has averaged 1.6 shots, 1.0 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga which goes to show his importance in Peter Bosz’s first-team (stats via whoscored). He has also secured six senior caps for the Jamaican national team and has netted one goal for his country in the process. The Kingston-born talent is undeniably one of Jamaica’s brightest young stars and has the ceiling to become a world-class winger someday.
His outstanding contributions over the past six months have kept Leverkusen in the hunt for securing UEFA Champions League football next season. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the football world has come to a standstill, so it is unclear whether Bailey will play for Leverkusen again, especially if he decides to switch clubs this summer.
What Will The Jamaican Wonderkid Bring To Merseyside?
Bailey is one of the quickest players in the German top-flight and shows excellent ball-control and composure when attempting to complete dribbles in the final third. He enjoys playing short, crisp passes with others around him and has proven himself to be an effective source for goals at Leverkusen. However, the jury is still out on whether he will be able to replicate those numbers in the Premier League, which is known for its physicality and high intensity.
Bailey doesn’t have a strong frame, so he needs to work on improving his upper body strength is he wants to unlock his true potential in England. At the moment, the Jamaican youngster is nowhere near the level of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, so it is difficult to see how he will be able to break into Jurgen Klopp’s first-team.
However, what makes Bailey such an exceptional talent is his ability to make dangerous runs out on the wide areas. He has all the skillset to be a decent impact substitute who will be able to offer a lot more than what Divock Origi, Xherdan Shaqiri and Takumi Minamino have managed to provide this season.
Klopp will be able to strengthen his squad depth even further if he can find a way to win the race to lure the Leverkusen whizkid to England. More options would mean that the German head coach will be able to show more flexibility with his formation and tactics in the coming years. The fact that both Mane and Salah are versatile enough to play as a centre-forward could provide Liverpool with the freedom to adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation next season with Bailey, Salah and Mane leading the charge, while Roberto Firmino acts as the chief orchestrator in the number ten position.
