Aston Villa kicked off their Premier League season with a draw at home against Newcastle United.
Villa looked in trouble at half-time as they hadn’t had a single shot, whereas Newcastle had eight shots that were valued at 1.1 xG.
However, the second half was a better performance, and post-match Unai Emery praised his team’s efforts: “We didn’t concede a lot in the second half and created chances, but the red card completely changed the match. We have to feel happy and proud of our work. This is the level we are playing against, which is the highest in the Premier League and Europa League. Today was a very good test, and, in the end, it was a good result.”
In the second half, although Villa had less possession, they did more with it as they registered three shots on target. Newcastle again had eight shots, but they were of significantly lower quality as they only valued 0.33 xG.
With game one down and their attention back on the transfer market, Villa have agreed to move on a player who was excluded from yesterday’s squad due to ongoing transfer negotiations.
Bailey allowed to travel for medical ahead of Aston Villa exit
Leon Bailey has been granted permission to travel to Rome for a medical ahead of his loan move to Roma. The winger was not in Villa’s match-day one squad due to the negotiations, with looking to move Bailey on all summer since “Emery has not been happy with his progress since he signed his new deal in 2024” and has wanted him gone.
Sports Witness have cited reports that Aston Villa’s Director of Football, Monchi, has now agreed a deal with Roma for Bailey to join on loan with an option to buy. There was no indication as to how much of Bailey’s £6.24 million-a-year contract will be covered by Roma.
A deal is well and truly on the cards, pending a medical, between Roma and Aston Villa, with Bailey set to travel on Monday.
Where things went wrong for Bailey at Villa
When Bailey arrived at Villa, he was seen as a player with a lot of promise as he was coming off the back of a 25-goal involvement season at Bayer Leverkusen.
Midway through his stellar 23/24 season, Bailey was awarded a new contract that kept him at Villa until 2027, with the club having the option to extend by another year. During that season Bailey registered 27 goal involvements across all competitions, which made it for most prolific season in his career.
However, his form took a sharp turn downwards in the 2024/25 season when he only managed six goal involvements in all competitions. This has led to Emery being unhappy with his progress and wanting to move him on.
While it looks like the loan will only have an option to buy, and there is always the possibility that Bailey returns to Birmingham next summer, it might be best for all involved if this move is made permanent and Bailey gets a chance to rediscover his best form in a new environment.