Spurs Rumours Continue For Reggae Boy Bailey
Leon Bailey’s escape from the German Bundesliga to the English Premier League (EPL) has today (3 September) been further fuelled with a potential move to Tottenham Hotspur following a claim by well-known Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Romano has told ‘The Last Word on Spurs’ podcast that the Jamaican midfielder is admired at Tottenham Hotspur by both head coach Jose Mourinho and chairman Daniel Levy.
Bailey, out-of-favour at Bayer Leverkusen, was last month rumoured to be snapped up by ambitious English Premier League (EPL) side Spurs according to German website Sport 1. And the North London’s outspoken Mourinho, who guided his side to sixth spot in the EPL to earn a Europa League spot, favours attacking players. This means that Bailey would be a good match under the Portugese coach.
Romano today explained to the Spurs podcast: “The name targeted is Leon Bailey, Jose Mourinho likes him so much. Tottenham were following him, and I would keep this name as a possibility.
“But the real problem is that is that Bayer Leverkusen don’t need money as they sold [Kai] Havertz to Chelsea and [Kevin] Volland to Monaco. If you want to take Bailey from Leverkusen you have to pay a big fee.”
Bailey, who has employed a England-based agent to speed up a switch to the EPL, was in London for a long weekend in mid-August with his arrival in the capital suggesting that he was having a meeting with Spurs.
Although the 23-year-old Jamaican midfielder helped his club to finish fifth in the German Bundesliga, to reach the league cup final and the Europa League quarter-finals, he no longer sees eye-to-eye with head coach Peter Rosz.
He has admitted that his form has been indifferent over the past 20 months, and last season was not his best – especially as he played second fiddle to German international Havertz. Bailey’s last campaign was also hit by a combination of injury, suspension and the enforced break because of the coronavirus outbreak that resulted in just seven goals.
Bailey’s stepfather Craig Butler, who likes to call the shots, is getting increasingly frustrated that his protege isn’t getting a starting spot under Rosz. And Bailey’s agents are ready to pay off the rest the remaining three years of his contract to leave the German outfit.
He has rarely shown glimmers of his silky skills that enticed Leverkusen to splash the cash to sign him from Belgium top-flight side Genk in 2017. On the big stage against German giants Bayern Munich, who at one time were serious suitors, he has failed miserably in their last two encounters and fallen off the radar of any side in the Bundesliga.
Leverkusen managing director Rudi Völler, who wants to keep the talented winger, is wanting the Kingston-born ace to show more consistency.
Völler spoke to respected German football magazine ‘Kicker’ and said: “You can see that he’s blessed with quality, but he has lacked continuity. It’s also clear that he has to do a bit more.”
Bailey caught the eye of leading European clubs with his pacy performances during his inaugural season in the Bundesliga (2017-18), and then turned down a lucrative deal to Chelsea as he wasn’t guaranteed a starting berth. But since this dynamic start his stuttering displays for Leverkusen have seen his transfer value plummet.
Scouts who were clammering to recommend him a couple of seasons ago have not been able to be as enthusiastic recently because of his patchy performances. However, Mourinho could polish the Reggae Boyz and a cut price deal would be a real coup for Spurs.
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