New Bailey injury leaves Roma frustrated and annoyed

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Susy Campanale | Last updated Jan 5, 2026 10:36 AM ET

Roma could reportedly be ready to pull the plug early on Leon Bailey’s loan from Aston Villa after another injury ruled him out of the game with Lecce.

The Giallorossi open the Serie A midweek round by hosting Lecce on Tuesday evening.

They announced their squad list today and it is notably missing Bailey, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Tommaso Baldanzi.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, this is due to the Jamaica international feeling pain in his thigh, having trained separately from his teammates.

Bailey has made no impact at Roma

SASSUOLO, ITALY – OCTOBER 26: Leon Bailey of AS Roma applauds the fans during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo Calcio and AS Roma at Mapei Stadium Citta del Tricolore on October 26, 2025 in Sassuolo, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

It is just the latest setback in his ill-fated time in the Eternal City, as he has missed 14 out of the 24 potential matches for Roma since arriving on loan from Aston Villa.

Bailey was only given one single start, against Sassuolo, and he was then substituted at half-time, so in 10 competitive appearances he played a total of 237 minutes of football.

The experience had started on the wrong foot, sustaining a thigh strain within 24 hours of his arrival, which ruled him out of action for almost two months.

Once he did make his debut, there was another injury to the femoral bicep only 28 days later, followed by one more in the build-up to Christmas.

Roma fans are increasingly frustrated and have been calling for the loan to be interrupted six months early so they can invest in a more functional player.

The one-season loan was at a cost of €3m, with an option to buy for a further €20m plus €2m in add-ons.

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: