Roma Send Bailey Back, Lay Eyes on Tottenham Pair

Leon Bailey has left Roma, boarding his flight back to Birmingham on Tuesday, and the hierarchy is tracking another Tottenham player to replace him, Mathys Tel. He has just been excluded from the UEFA Champions League squad, Corriere dello Sport relays.

The Jamaican forward struggled to stay healthy and made little impact during his five months in the Eternal City, appearing just seven times and assisting twice. He was beyond the eight-ball from the get-go. He suffered a severe thigh strain right before the opener

Roma have inquired about Tel to substitute for Bailey and Tommaso Baldanzi, who’s one step away from Genoa. Gian Piero Gasperini wants an addition before letting anyone go. The Frenchman has scored three times in 20 appearances. He has been a regular starter only recently. The Giallorossi are also discussing Radu Dragusin with Tottenham. They have to shell out €20M on the nail or provide guarantees of a future permanent switch to nab him. The defender is helping them out.

The alternatives for the attack are Noa Lang, but he’s close to Galatasaray, Benfica’s Andreas Schjelderup, who has been offered to a few Serie A teams, Ajax’s Mika Godts, and Club Brugge’s Christos Tzolis, who’s represented by the same agents as Donyell Malen.

Our Take on Roma, Bailey, and Tel

The former had the right traits but never found his stride, and the formula made it easy to cut bait rather than trying to make it work. They know what to look for, as they have plenty of lefties and no real speedster up front, but the search is in its early stages, given the plethora of names on the table.