Manchester City are reportedly about to sign Leon Bailey from Bayern Leverkusen as a like for like replacement for Leroy Sane but will he be a success in England?, secondly can he fill the void left by the player who seems to be destined for Bayern Munich..
Sane who won the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2017-18, has played only 1 game this season having damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the Community Shield against Liverpool in August. He has recovered from it now and could play some part if the Premier League should resume as expected in June having been put on hold by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is reluctant to let Sane leave but the player appears to have made up his mind to go to Bayern Munich who are also expected to go all out to secure a deal for the Germany international this summer.
With Sane set and ready to leave the Etihad Stadium, Leon Bailey has been identified by Guardiola and the city hierarchy as the one to fill Sane’s boots. Bailey has been an impressive performer for Leverkusen in recent seasons, his attacking productivity for the club has been nothing short of remarkable.
The Jamaican international is currently in his second full season in Bundesliga having moved to Bayern Leverkusen from Genk in January, 2017, where he came into limelight after scoring 15 goals and assisting a further 12 in 77 matches. In 107 appearances so far for the German side, the 22 year old has produced a return of 24 goals and 13 assists.
Bailey is deemed to be the perfect signing this summer for Manchester City because of the quality he brings in as a left footed winger who can play both right and left wing just as the person he’s going to replace. He is one of the best in the category of youth players and definitely in the discussion for best upcoming wingers for the coming years.
Here, our tactical analysis will use statistics to consider if the winger Bailey could fit into the Manchester City team if he were to make the move to England and replace Leroy Sane.
Bailey’s style of play is frequently compared with the City winger, but, he remains some way off the German though with a very good potential as he can play anywhere across the forward line as well as in attacking midfield.
The 22-year-old hasn’t had the most productive campaign this season. Injuries and suspensions have prohibited him from having a regular run in the side. But he has still managed to score 7 goals and an assist in 24 matches in all competitions. He has averaged 1.6 shots, 0.9 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game in the Bundesliga this season. In the previous two campaigns combined, he has managed 17 goals and recorded 11 assists, highlighting the productivity he can bring when fit and firing.
Bailey can use his pace and agility with the ball out on the wide areas to make some driving runs. He also has excellent ball control as well as the ability to create all sorts of problems for the opposition teams with his quick feet.
The Jamaican can also be a constant thorn in the flesh of defenders as he can get himself into promising positions in and around the opposition penalty box, he can as well strike the ball from long range.
Indeed signing a winger of Bailey’s skillset will be a massive acquisition for the Manchester club as he’ll not only add more pace and goals to the City front men but also enhance the depth of the squad. Moreover, a player of Bailey’s ability will provide some competition for the likes of Sterling, Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus in the coming seasons. At just 22 years of age, he is only going to get better with each year.
However, according to whoscored, this season Bailey has only completed 70.4% of his attempted passes in the Bundesliga which is at least 10% below every other Man city outfield player, his tackling average is also well below every of these Man City outfielders, this strangely suggests that he might find it a little bit difficult to settle into Guardiola’s style of play at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola is a coach popularly known for placing enormous value in ball retention and the Bayern Leverkusen winger’s weak passing accuracy is well below the pecking order in comparison to other Manchester City players.
In comparison to Sane, his tally of seven goals and just one assist this term is far inferior to the German’s return of 16 goals and 18 assists from last season prior to his anterior cruciate ligament rupture nine months ago.
Discipline could also be another issue with the Jamaican international, who has been sent off with a straight red card twice this season. With all these considered, Man City should consider making a move for Bailey if they are willing to give him enough time to adapt. As long as he adapts to the premier league, he may as well step into the void left by Sane.
Finally to conclude, it clearly looks like Manchester City are in the driving seat for the £40m rated winger but will they go ahead with this during the current pandemic? There, is a big question mark. This signing shouldn’t be difficult but fully dependent on whether a particular player moves or not. Over to you Leroy Sane.
