Aston Villa fans all say the same about Leon Bailey ‘redemption arc’ as ‘disappointing’ loan set to end
Aston Villa supporters are preparing for the return of Leon Bailey as the Jamaican faces having his loan deal cut short by Roma next month.
Mick Brown revealed to Football Insider in August that Villa are eager for Bailey to leave permanently at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, but that could now change at Villa Park.
Evann Guessand has failed to impress since he arrived in the Midlands, and with the winger now away at AFCON for the foreseeable future, Unai Emery might have a way of replacing his spot in the lineup.
According to Il Romanista (24 December), the 28-year-old could return in January, just six months into his season-long loan, being described as “disappointing” and “too fragile”, unable to impress the manager.
Aston Villa fans ready for Emi Buendia repeat with Leon Bailey
While some supporters want the player immediately shipped back out, the majority of responses to the news have been surprisingly optimistic. One fan mooted a “redemption arc” at Villa Park.
Bailey notched just two goals and four assists in the 2024-25 campaign, but with 27 goal contributions in the season before, he has proven he has what it takes to thrive under Emery before.
Multiple supporters have made an instant comparison to Emi Buendia, who spent the second half of last season at Bayer Leverkusen, failing to perform, but has since returned and become an important figure.
- @rank1general: “Maybe he has a redemption arc like Buendia.”
- @Phi1Curley: “An unsuccessful loan spell helped Emi Buendia… Hopefully, the same has been done for Bailey.”
- @Kilmartin32: “Keep him & give him a chance to grow. Back in familiar surroundings with familiar players might spark him.”
Unai Emery will be concerned with loan star’s numbers at Roma
Since joining the Italian giants back in August, Bailey has made just 10 appearances, with just one of them coming as a start in Serie A, and it cannot be labelled as unfair treatment either.
He has just a single assist to his name, yet to hit the back of the net. Even Guessand has three goal contributions across all competitions, and Buendia has made an incredible comeback for Villa.
Most recently scoring a buzzer-beating winner against Arsenal, the Argentine has five goals and three assists in 2025-26, slowly giving the manager a major headache.
With the Villans still competing in the Premier League title race, Champions League, and FA Cup, Emery requires squad depth, and keeping the winger would ease the need to splash more money.