Leon Bailey has confirmed that he was ‘close’ to joining Ajax as Aston Villa prepare to take on the Eredivisie giants in tonight’s Europa Conference League last-16 first-leg tie at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
As the Aston Villa winger sat down in front of the media on Wednesday, he might not have been expecting to have to cast his mind back to the summer of 2015, and recall a long-lost transfer saga.
Leon Bailey, before being handed his break in European football with Belgian powerhouses KRC Genk, found himself on the radar of another club boasting a proud track record when it comes to polishing rough diamonds.
Ajax, his agent and step-father Craig Butler confirmed, were ‘very close’ to taking the Jamaica international to Amsterdam. And, ahead of Villa’s clash with another former continental champion in the Dutch capital, Bailey has now provided his own side of the story.
Leon Bailey nearly joined Ajax in 2015
“That’s a very difficult question to ask! And it’s the first question too,” Bailey laughs, quoted by Voetbal Primeur. “I was close to a move. Ajax was there for me when I was still a young player.
“Before I became a professional footballer, Ajax did a lot for me so that I could play in Europe. (But) it didn’t happen.”
With a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs, Bailey will now be hoping to show his one-time suitors what all the fuss was about. With 11 goals and 11 assists in all competitions this season, the £30 million signing from Bayer Leverkusen is one of the greatest weapons in Unai Emery’s armoury as the Spaniard looks to add a fifth European title to his enviable collection.
Bailey, however, is unlikely to be the only threat to an Ajax backline who have conceded a staggering 43 Eredivisie goals this term. More than an RKC Waalwijk side mired in the relegation zone.
Aston Villa face Ajax in Conference League calsh
Ollie Watkins, with 21 goals in all competitions, has also reached double-figures for both goals and assists.
“I’m a fan of his,” former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson tells NOS of Watkins, who he has played alongside for the England national side.
“Aston Villa are a very good team. They are maybe one of the best teams in Europe this season. We will have to play compactly and give up few chances. It will be a test for us, but we look forward to competing with the best players in Europe.
“Ollie is an extraordinary player who has everything. He is strong, but also dangerous in depth. He works hard and is a true professional.”
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