OPINION
Newcastle United will likely regret missing out on signing Tom Bayliss from Coventry City after he sealed a move to Preston North End.
The Magpies were previously reported by the Chronicle as being keen to sign the 20-year-old central midfielder before Sky Sport’s Transfer Blog (July 12th, 14:46) went on to claim that Newcastle had inquired about his services.
However, on Friday, Preston North End confirmed on their official website that Bayliss had joined them, signing a four-year deal in the process, which meant Newcastle have missed out on his signature.
While it’s disappointing enough to miss out on any transfer target, the Magpies will no doubt particularly regret this one after Sky Sports host Tom White went out of his way to rave about the midfielder.
In fact, White ended up suggesting that Preston had even got Bayliss for a bargain price and described him as an excellent player.
“Preston have completed the signing of Bayliss on a four-year deal,” said White on Sky Sports’ Transfer Talk (Friday, August 2nd, 12:33pm).
“The under-20 international will move to Deepdale for around a fee of £2million, if you don’t know much about Tom Bayliss and didn’t see much of League One last season, Tom Bayliss is an excellent player.
“I can tell you now Preston fans who don’t know much about him, you’ve got a superb signing there and £2million is a snip, Coventry will be devastated to see him go.”
While it would have been a huge ask of Bayliss to sign for Newcastle and instantly make a splash in the first-team after wowing in League One, it doesn’t make missing out on him any easier to take.
There’s no denying that based on White’s remarks and what Bayliss has already achieved in his career, he’s destined for the top.
Despite only being 20-years-old, Bayliss managed to make 78 appearances for Coventry before leaving with 38 of those coming in League One and 27 of them in League Two (including the play-offs).
How often do you find a youngster with that much senior experience?
Bayliss has also justified his place in Coventry’s first-team previously as he scored three goals while assisting three in his league outings and wasn’t overly wasteful when trying his luck from distance as 41% of his shots hit the target. (Source: BBC Sport)
So with that in mind and White’s remarks, Newcastle will regret missing out on Bayliss as not only is he now on a long-term deal with a Championship side but he has the skills to excel in England’s second-tier and see his price tag rocket.
