Arsenal should avoid signing Eric Bailly from Man United at all costs
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Arsenal have seen an approach to sign Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly on loan for the rest of the season rejected by their rivals.
The Gunners find themselves in a dire situation with injuries at the back causing a major headache to manager Unai Emery. And in order to address the issue, the club are believed to have approached their arch-rivals to enquire about the possibility of loaning Bailly with an option to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season, which Manchester United have duly rejected. (h/t Daily Mail)
Arsenal might have to look elsewhere to solve the injury crisis at hand for now, but should they return with a fresh approach to sign Bailly permanently in the summer window?
The 24-year-old centre-back started out with the youth team of Espanyol in La Liga and having made just five appearances for the senior team, switched to Villarreal in January 2015. The Ivorian flourished with the Yellow Submarine and went on to make 47 appearances over the next year and a half before Manchester United came calling in the summer of 2016.
Bailly, signed for £30 million, became the first United signing under Jose Mourinho and went on to have a solid debut season. He emerged as one of the stars as the Red Devils lifted the League Cup and the UEFA Europa League trophy. However, his second season at the club was plagued with injuries, with the 24-year-old making just 13 Premier League appearances.
Bailly started the 2018-19 campaign as the first-choice for Mourinho and United, but a horrendous display in their second league game against Brighton & Hove Albion saw him relegated to the bench under the Portuguese.
The 32-time capped Ivory Coast international returned to the line-up against Arsenal in December, which United drew 2-2, following which he was dropped for the subsequent league game against Fulham. Mourinho reinstated Bailly for the Liverpool game in which the Red Devils were thrashed 3-1, following which the Portuguese was sacked.
Under interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got a chance to make a fresh start, but the defender blew his chance big time, getting sent off against Bournemouth.
Bailly’s stint at Manchester United has been a stop-start one. The 24-year-old has shown immense potential but has also been guilty of committing unnecessary errors and being careless on the ball, sometimes lacking the maturity to be a frontline defender for a club with title and Champions League aspirations. And injuries haven’t helped his case either.
In many ways, it has been a case of one step forward, two steps back for the Ivorian. And that is not what Arsenal need in their defence at this point in time. Bailly has a number of redeeming qualities – his aggression, his tackling ability, the attitude and the spirit with which he plays.
But the Gunners are in need of someone who can carry the mantle of the leader at the back and turn the defence into a tight-knit unit, similar to what Virgil van Dijk has done at Liverpool. And hence, they would be better off looking at other alternatives to reinforce their defence come summer.
