LEON BAILEY’s agent has hit back at Roma after his loan spell in Italy was cut short.
Bailey, 28, returned to Aston Villa from a nightmare spell before the January transfer window shut.
Bailey’s agent, Craig Butler, has spoken out against Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini over his disparaging comments made about the Jamaican’s return to the UK.
Butler told CVM Television: “He didn’t return to Aston Villa because Roma didn’t want him, but because the club needed him.
“They wanted him back because they needed a player of his calibre.”
Bailey moved to the Serie A side in August last year for the 2025/26 season on a deal that included the option to buy.
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But Unai Emery recalled Bailey to reinforce his attacking options, alongside former Chelsea star Tammy Abraham.
Villa, who are currently third in the Premier League, trail leaders Arsenal by seven points with 14 league games remaining this season.
Gasperini had said Bailey’s experience as “negative for both him and us”.
The Roma boss added: “He got injured on the first day of training, and from there, a real ordeal began.
“It took a long time to recover, then there were some stints, but every time he seemed ready to return fully, he relapsed.
“It was truly a shame, because he was a player we thought could add value.
“I believe injuries were the main factor in this decision, including what happened in the last match in Turin, when he had to sit out again.
“Being a player on loan, it’s clear that this decision was made. Perhaps if he had been a Roma player, we would probably have moved on.”
Roma sit fifth, trailing top of the table Inter Milan by 12 points.
During his time in Rome, Bailey only played 181 minutes across seven league appearances.
The winger, who has seven caps for Jamaica, joined Villa from the Bundesliga‘s Bayer Leverkusen for a deal worth £25 million in 2021.
He then went on to score 22 goals in 144 appearances for Aston Villa before leaving for Roma.
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