Alan Hutton: Letting Leon Bailey leave Aston Villa the wrong thing to do
We’re delighted to welcome former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Villa Park…
Alan Hutton thinks that Aston Villa would be daft to let Leon Bailey leave the club after a stuttering start to his career in the Premier League.
The Daily Mail reported on 30 August that Ajax were considering a move for the winger after losing a number of their prised assets this summer.
However, the 25-year-old will remain at Villa Park until January at the very least after a deadline day move didn’t materialise.
Talking before the 1 September deadline, Hutton felt that letting Bailey depart would be bad decision by the board at Villa Park.
“I think letting Bailey go would’ve been the wrong thing to do,“ Hutton said exclusively to Villa News.
“I know that Ajax have lost a lot of top players like Anthony to Manchester United so they would want to fill that void.
“So it doesn’t surprise me that Bailey has been linked, particular with his electric pace and lots of potential.
“The club would be daft to let him go.”
The Jamaican international has really struggled to get going to Villa after his move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2021.
One goal and two assists in 18 appearances in the 2021/22 season is far from what Villa fans hoped of the explosive winger after his previous performances in the Bundesliga where he really caught the eye.
Bailey has one goal and one assist in six appearances in the 2022/23 campaign as he looks to put his injury and poor form behind him.
The months leading up to the January window will be crucial for the 25-year-old to prove his worth at Villa Park.
In other Aston Villa news, manager Steven Gerrard is very keen to bring Liverpool defender Joe Gomez to the club.