How Aston Villa loanee Leon Bailey fared on his Roma debut vs Inter Milan
Leon Bailey has finally made his Roma debut after signing on loan from Aston Villa.
Bailey signed for Roma from Villa in the summer, as it was made clear that his gametime would become limited under Unai Emery.
The Villa Park club were also dealing with financial issues after UEFA threatened Villa with potential action if they breached their rules.
Bailey could have earned over £12million at Villa across the remainder of his contract, so his departure certainly benefited the wage bill.
Injury has gone on to hamper his spell in Serie A, but Bailey has now featured for Roma as he made his debut against Inter Milan.
Leon Bailey was a Roma substitute vs Inter Milan
Bailey’s switch to Roma was initially delayed at Villa as his flight was frustratingly held up due to heavy air traffic.
The Jamaica international eventually completed a deal and joined the Italian giants on a temporary deal until the end of the season.
As it did in his first season at Villa, the winger has struggled with injury and was unable to feature for the opening eight games of the campaign.
Gian Piero Gasperini was able to include the Villa loanee in his squad to face Inter Milan on Saturday, and Bailey was afforded his debut.
The ex-Bayer Leverkusen man came on to replace Paulo Dybala and made his presence felt throughout a 17-minute cameo.
Aston Villa loanee Bailey showed his quality for Roma
Replacing the Argentina international is no mean feat, especially when chasing a point while 1-0 down against last season’s Champions League finalists.
Bailey came on and was able to take 15 touches, and he certainly looked to make things happen with his time on the ball.
The 28-year-old completed 100 per cent of his attempted dribbles and was able to contribute with one key pass and one created chance at the Stadio Olympico.
He also attempted four crosses, making a positive impact despite not helping Roma equalise as they fell to defeat.
There will be hope that Bailey can build on this and continue a top run of form, then the Italians may be keen to activate their £19million buy option in the summer.
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