OPINION
Tottenham must win the race to sign Manchester United defender Eric Bailly as it would deal a blow to both Arsenal and Jose Mourinho’s side.
The Daily Star reported on Friday that Spurs were chasing the services of the 24-year-old centre-back alongside the Gunners with the defender growing increasingly disillusioned with life at Old Trafford.
The newspaper stated that Mauricio Pochettino was an admirer of Bailly’s abilities and that Spurs had the edge over their local rivals the Gunners in the race for his services as they would likely be put off by his price tag.
While the 24-year-old hasn’t excelled at Man United since joining in 2016, it’s clear he has the talents to do better and Pochettino could get the best out of him.
Bailly, who earns £75,000-a-week currently (Source: Spotrac), is struggling this season but he is being misused and messed about by Mourinho.
The centre-back was hauled off during the game against Newcastle United and that wasn’t the first time Mourinho had emphatically snubbed him, it seems the Portuguese manager has stripped the defender of any confidence he had and it’s causing him problems.
Pochettino has improved far worse players than the Man United centre-back and could easily get him back to his best, which would end up causing their Premier League rivals to be miserable over parting company with him as at the age of 24-year-old, he could be a success for years.
The 24-year-old recently dazzled on international duty for Ivory Coast, scoring a goal as well as an assist against the Central African Republic on Friday and this showed there is a good player lurking beneath his current troubles.
It’s easy to see Bailly arriving at Spurs to bolster their options at the back and make them look even sturdier when it comes to teams’ trying to get the better of them.
While it will eventually be seen as a bitter blow to Man United if Spurs purchase Bailly’s services and transform him, winning the race for the defender would be an instant blow to Arsenal.
The Gunners clearly need strengthening at the back in January, as they look vulnerable, and Bailly would be their best option to be an instant fix.
The 24-year-old is well-known by Gunners boss Unai Emery as he witnessed him regularly play against his Sevilla side in La Liga and has Premier League experience to boot.
Few players would tick both boxes so it’s likely that winning the race for Bailly would be important to the Gunners in January, should the defender exit Old Trafford.
Therefore Tottenham must deal their Premier League rivals a blow by winning the reported race for the centre-back who is currently being misused at Man United.