Arsenal: If possible, Eric Bailly an absolute no-brainer

Eric Bailly is again being linked with an exit from Manchester United. If it is possible to secure a deal, the striding, commanding 24-year-old is a no-brainer for centre-back-needy Arsenal.

When Unai Emery arrived at Arsenal in the summer, one of the key positions that required serious thought and action was centre-half. For many, it was seen as the most pressing area of concern, one that demanded the most attentive focus and investment in the summer transfer window.

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Whether Emery, Sven Mislintat and the newly-aligned Arsenal transfer Avengers agreed or not is not quite known, but they did, at least to some extent, see a need at the position, signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos for £16 million from Borussia Dortmund, an experienced, if slightly limited, central defender who boasts extensive European and international experience.

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But even in acquiring Sokratis, the problems at centre-back were not magically fixed. It was always going to take more than just one signing to fix years of riddled, habitually, error-prone play. And given the defensive problems under Emery so far this season — Arsenal have kept just three clean sheets in all competitions and have allowed an Expected Goals of 0.41 or more in every Premier League game — there is good reason to think that more spending should be attributed to finding a player to help stem the centre-back problem.

One such player who could be available is Eric Bailly. The Manchester United defender has fallen out of Jose Mourinho’s favour, being hauled off after 19 minutes for tactical reasons during the weekend’s remarkable 3-2 win over Newcastle United — Man. Utd were 2-0 down when Bailly was substituted — and is again being linked with an Old Trafford exit in the January window, with Arsenal and north London rivals Spurs being tentatively named as possible landing spots.

Bailly has been publicly maligned by Mourinho himself, with particular concern for his ability on the ball, but as a pure defender, he is still United’s best option, although that should be tempered by the competition. Chris Smalling is currently Mourinho’s most used centre-back. His combination of reading of the game, his vision and accuracy in his position, his surprising speed, especially over longer distances, and his brutish power, which shines through in aerial duels and normal tackles, makes him a terrifying defender to play against.

Perhaps what is most overlooked is that he is still only 24 years of age. This is not a seasoned professional who has maximised his talent and will not improve from this point forward. He is still working on his game, still adapting to the Premier League, and still trying to break free of the Mourinho shackles.

There is just one problem that I can see, other than the fact that United would be extremely unlikely to sell to a direct rival. That may push the price up a little with Arsenal forced to pay a premium over foreign clubs. But it is an overcomeable hurdle, especially if Bailly is keen on leaving.

If Bailly is available, then his acquisition is an absolute no-brainer. He would immediately be Arsenal’s best defender, just about to enter the prime of his career. If this isn’t an obvious pick-up-the-phone-and-get-the-deal-done kind of proposition, then I don’t know what is.