Aston Villa have recalled Leon Bailey from his loan spell at Roma and he could be straight back into the squad this weekend.
Bailey left Villa Park in August to join the Italian giants but has already returned to England after less than five months.
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The Jamaican winger played eleven games for Roma during this time, seven of which were in Serie A.
However, he only started two of his eleven games for the club, scoring no goals and providing a total of two assists.
Injuries held Bailey back early in his loan spell in the Italian capital, as he struggled in his first training session after signing.
This meant he couldn’t make his Roma debut until October as he was sidelined for two months.
He suffered another injury bout a month later, missing three games before missing another five over the holidays.
Bailey had only returned last week when he started in the Coppa Italia, but was then dropped again at the weekend.
And now it’s back to Aston Villa.
Unai Emery could also welcome him back into the squad straight away with a big Premier League clash looming.
He will be available for the game against Newcastle at St James’ Park on Sunday afternoon.
Villa boss Emery reportedly made the decision to bring Bailey back on Tuesday after Roma were informed of the recall.
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Bailey back in the villa
Bailey has made 144 appearances for Aston Villa after joining them from Bayer Leverkusen in 2021.
The 28-year-old scored 22 goals and provided 24 assists in the following four years.
During this time he missed over 50 games for Villa and Jamaica as his difficult career in England was plagued by injuries.
His best season was 2023/24, where Bailey showed his best and helped secure Champions League qualification.
Bailey has scored ten Premier League goals and assisted nine this season. Bailey was also involved in six goals in the European Cup.
Emery will now be hoping the winger can rediscover that form to give his side another attacking option.
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Villa’s transfer business
Aston Villa are currently looking for reinforcements in attack after opting to loan Donyell Malen to Roma.
With Bailey now returning from the Italian side soon, it means they won’t be left out.
However, the club is still looking to sign another striker and has several targets in mind in the January transfer window.
The Pitch Prospect understands Villa are interested in signing Jean-Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace this month.
They have also reached an agreement with Roma to loan Tammy Abraham, but negotiations are likely to be difficult.
Abraham is currently on loan at Besiktas and the Turkish club has to agree to let him go and may not want to.