According to The Daily Record, Arsenal are entering a battle with bitter rivals Tottenham for the signature of out of favour Man United defender Eric Bailly.
The Ivory Coast international has struggled under José Mourinho at Old Trafford this season, and has come under public criticism from his manager.
While he arrived in Manchester from Villarreal with a lot of promise, the 24-year-old has failed to meet expectations. He has been too error prone for a club of the stature of Man United, and while he displays the athletic qualities of a top-class player, he has technically been found wanting at times.
While at the age of 24 Bailly still has a very bright future, Arsenal just does not seem to be the place for him. For an age now, The Gunners have been searching for a defence to match the one of their glory days at the beginning of the millennium. Since the days of Sol Campbell and Martin Keown, the north London club have scoured the earth for similar defenders, but have always come up short. As technically gifted as some may have been, they have just lacked the grit and physicality to make it in the league.
While Arsenal have a good crop of defenders now, they could still do with a resolute figure at the back; one who is just a naturally solid defender. Unfortunately, Bailly just isn’t that man. It was a criticism of Arsène Wenger for years towards the end of his tenure that he never sorted out his defence, but signing Bailly would just be a case of history repeating itself.
