The 28-year-old’s future at the club has been in doubt all summer amid speculation over a potential exit, as having struggled for form last season, Villa are seemingly open to moving him on and trying to upgrade in that department.
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According to [The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell](https://x.com/J_Tanswell/status/1956468440803262694), Bailey is not going to be included in the matchday squad to face Newcastle this weekend, as Unai Emery confirmed the decision when speaking to the media on Friday with the Jamaican international in ongoing talks over a switch to Roma in what is reported to be an initial loan move with an option to buy.
That is arguably the sensible decision as the Villa winger may be distracted by the potential move elsewhere, and it’s important that the players available are all focused on securing three points on Saturday to get our season off to a positive start.
Having impressed the year before last, it was such a shame to see Bailey struggle last season, as injuries and a lack of confidence undoubtedly impacted him and saw him fall well short of the contribution needed.
Although he did feature in pre-season, it seems Villa are open to letting him leave, and time will tell if his exit, coupled with that of Jacob Ramsey who is set to join our upcoming opponents imminently, will allow us to bring in further reinforcements as we juggle the need to strengthen the squad with financial restrictions due to UEFA’s rules.
Emery still has plenty of options for this weekend with Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and John McGinn perhaps set to form our trident behind Ollie Watkins in the attacking third, with Evann Guessand, Donyell Malen and Emiliano Buendia available too as either alternatives or game-changers on the bench.
In turn, it’s hoped that a conclusion is reached in Bailey’s transfer talks soon, and we’ll wait to see what the knock-on effect of that will ultimately prove to be with a couple more weeks remaining in the transfer window.
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