Arsenal failed in a summer move to sign Manchester United defender Eric Bailly as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side ‘did not want to strengthen a rival’.
The London Evening Standard reports that the Ivorian defender was told by the club that a move to the Gunners was not an option this summer.
Bailly had been heavily linked with a move to London, but Unai Emery instead pursued a deal for David Luiz – but was it a better move from the club or have they missed out on this occasion?
Read Arsenal verdict
David Luiz caught everyone by surprise as he completed a last-minute switch to Arsenal. While no potential fee has been mentioned for Bailly, it’s very unlikely that he would have been cheaper than the Brazilian.
On and off the pitch, Luiz certainly has more leadership qualities and that is a huge bonus to the current Arsenal squad. Not to mention the fact that he has already worked with Emery before at Paris Saint-Germain.
While on paper, Luiz looks a good fit, the statistics from last season may tell a different story.
As per Wyscout, Bailly made on average 0.52 fouls per 90 minutes compared to Luiz’s 0.85 in the Premier League. He also managed to win 5.45 of his defensive duels, while Luiz could only manage 4.13.
Add to that more interceptions and recoveries in the opposition half, Bailly was the better performing defender.
The 25-year-old never quite fulfilled his potential at Manchester United and it looks like this is one that may have slipped away from the club unfortunately.
Chelsea were more than willing to move Luiz on this summer and perhaps that’s telling in how the Blues viewed the Brazilian, espically in comparison to Bailly.
