Manchester United defender Eric Bailly is reportedly on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur should they lose Toby Alderweireld this summer – but would he be a good replacement?
The Daily Star write that the Red Devils and Spurs could even work out a swap deal for the centre-backs, with Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer keen on Alderweireld, who has a £25m release clause.
Bailly has not featured as regularly as he would’ve liked this season, with injuries and a change of manager limiting him to just 18 appearances for the Old Trafford club.
The 6ft 2″ Ivorian is known for being comfortable on the ball with the ability to play accurate passes into midfield as well as being a calming presence amongst his fellow defenders.
He is also fairly quick over the ground and his skills would, therefore, supplement Jan Vertonghen well, with the Belgian more comfortable heading and kicking balls away rather than stepping up into midfield.
Bailly’s injury record would be of serious concern to Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, with the 25-year-old making just 50 Premier League appearances since moving to Manchester from Villarreal in a 2016 deal worth £30m.
In terms of current ability, it has to be argued that Alderweireld is the better of the pair.
However, with Bailly having five years on his fellow centre-back, signing the Ivorian would enable Spurs to develop him over the coming seasons before he reaches his prime years.
In conclusion, it is hard to see any other Premier League centre-backs that Spurs would able to sign who are of higher quality than Bailly, and the fact that Arsenal are also interested in his services would make the deal even sweeter.
