Manchester United defender Eric Bailly would be a great fit for Arsenal

With rumours swirling about Eric Bailly leaving United, Arsenal seems like a prime destination

Eric Bailly has quickly fallen in the depth charts at Manchester United. After a strong performance in the first match of the season, Bailly and the United defense fell apart, losing 3-2 to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Bailly was subsequently dropped from the lineup, not even making the bench against Tottenham the following week. He has since played just five minutes in two matches, making meaningless appearances off the bench in United’s last two matches.

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Now, it seems all too certain that Jose Mourinho does not favor the Ivorian. Bailly is very likely to leave United at this rate come January, and Arsenal would be a great home for him.

Arsenal has won three straight matches after losses to both Manchester City and Arsenal to start the season. The Gunners have still struggled a bit in defense despite their recent victories, which is where Bailly comes in to play.

Arsenal have two very capable defenders in Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi that seem to be the main men for Unai Emery. Adding Bailly to the roster would give the club a great option to use in both the Europa League and FA Cup, as long as he is not cup tied with United.

Bailly will bring a bit of a different style to the Arsenal defense. He is a pacey defender that still retains strength and a solid defensive mind. Even if he does not start week in and week out, having him as an option either off the bench or simply for rotation purposes would be great for Emery and his squad.

United is a bit short on defenders at the moment. Phil Jones is still out with an injury, so Mourinho is hard pressed for choices. Starting Ander Herrera at defender was clearly the wrong option against Tottenham, so Bailly could end up being kept through the year for that reason alone.

If United are willing to sell Bailly, though, Arsenal should waste no time in going after him. A January move may drive the price up a bit, but the Gunners need to be aggressive if they want to succeed this season.

Do you think Arsenal should sign Bailly?