Manchester United have announced the signing of Ivorian defender Eric Bailly from Villareal for a fee believed to be in the region of £30million. But, who really is Eric Bailly and is the man that United fans have been crying out for?
For £30million worth of centre-back, you would imagine Bailly would stand out statistically above the rest. After moving to Villareal when they sold Gabriel Paulista to Arsenal last January, Bailly has been the main man at the back for Marcelino’s side and has arguably earned his move to one of Europe’s elite. He wasn’t a mainstay this season, competing alongside a number of other defenders for the side that finished fourth in La Liga this campaign, securing a Champions League spot for next season.
However Bailly is leaving behind the Champions League football and has moved for pastures new, saying it’s “a dream come true” to move to Manchester United.
In terms of his playing style, you could compare Bailly to John Stones. Very comfortable on the ball, a strong dribbler and with bags of pace, his game is very suited to that of La Liga, so it will be a test moving to the more physical game of the Premier League, as Stones proved to be difficult this season.
He was the best of the strong bunch that included long-term Tottenham target Mateo Musacchio, veteran Daniele Bonera and another talent in Victor Ruiz. Only 22 years old, with 15 Ivory Coast caps behind him, how exactly does Bailly compare with the central defenders that Mourinho has inherited at Old Trafford?
This graphic would suggest that Bailly isn’t going to bring anything that United don’t already have. What stands out from the stats is that they suggest that the Ivorian’s weakness lies aerially, winning just over half his aerial duels over the course of the La Liga season. Worryingly for United fans, the Premier League is so demanding aerially that it remains to be seen if he can adapt to it. However, his ground work would improve United at the back based on stats. The most blocks per game out of the five, as well as the second most interceptions and clearances, coming behind Chris Smalling in both.
As an overall, Bailly statistically had a better season than both Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo, but lagged behind Chris Smalling, who did arguably have a fairly strong season. Phil Jones’ premier league record is quite good too, competing mainly in the air, but injuries and lack of games has forced Mourinho’s hand in finding a new defender.
That’s all well and good being better than the poor-crop of defenders United had last season under Louis Van Gaal, but how does Bailly compare with some of the other defenders they have been linked with over this summer transfer window so far.
Amongst some of the best defenders in Europe that United have been linked with, Bailly still holds up similarly to that of the defenders they owned before the former-Villareal man. High in interceptions and clearances, but in this graphic, they fall short in the blocks department. Kostas Manolas seems to be the perfect fit for United, statistically out performing Chris Smalling this season as well as the five including Bailly.
In summary, although Bailly is a top, young defender and has the room to develop, right now, which Manchester United need, I don’t think Bailly is exactly what the player they should be looking for. He’s a much more modern centre-back, and so far, these types of defenders aren’t working out in the Premier League. United would have been better off spending their money on Manolas this summer, who could still be on the way to England, and could go on to prove Mourinho wrong.
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