On Saturday evening, Aston Villa recorded a 3-0 win over injury-ravaged Everton at Villa Park. For the first hour of the encounter, the game was relatively tight and could have gone either way.
However, a 21-minute cameo from the substitute’s bench of summer signing Leon Bailey proved the difference. The Jamaican international created the first goal and smashed home the third goal in a blistering display.
Pass. Touch. Finish. Scenes. 🤩@IngsDanny 🤝 @LeonBailey pic.twitter.com/rVhwFZoK3p— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 20, 2021
Pass. Touch. Finish. Scenes. 🤩@IngsDanny 🤝 @LeonBailey pic.twitter.com/rVhwFZoK3p
By the time he had left the field through a slight injury, Everton’s stand-in right-back Ben Godfrey had suffered so badly that Everton head coach Rafa Benitez also decided to substitute the former Norwich defender.
It may have only been a cameo against a team that clearly has massive injury problems, but it was a taste of what is to come for Villa fans in the future.
If any of those fans had already witnessed the winger playing for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, then they would know that he could turn out to be one of the most exciting signings of the summers.
The 24-year-old has the ability to take on opponents with the ball at pace and gets fans off their seats. That quality is rare in modern-day football when that sort of individualism is not always appreciated by coaches. He will excite Villa fans with his performances.
In the modern transfer market, his £30million price tag could prove to be money well invested.
When Bailey first arrived in Leverkusen, he was inconsistent. However, as he has matured his promising displays have produced more tangible results. The winger had a hand in 65 goals in 156 appearances for Bayer. That is a respectable tally.
There is so much more to come from Leon Bailey at Villa and his performances may well lead fans to say Jack who?