Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was speaking to the media on Thursday, and he responded to transfer speculation linking Eric Bailly with a move to Arsenal.
As noted by the Daily Mail, it had been suggested that the Gunners were trying to prise the defensive ace away from Old Trafford on an initial loan deal with a permanent move in the summer. However, they saw that potential swoop rejected by the Red Devils.
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The 24-year-old has been limited to just 11 appearances in all competitions so far this season, and he’s only started three of the six Premier League games that Solskjaer’s been in charge for.
While there was a two-game suspension to consider, it suggests that the Ivorian international may not be the first choice centre-half for the Norwegian tactician for the rest of this season, with Phil Jones and Victor Lindelof forming the preferred partnership in recent games.
With that in mind, perhaps it was worth Arsenal’s while trying to snap him up until the summer at least, but coupled with the report above noting United weren’t interested, Solskjaer has had his say on the matter and it seems he was pretty dismissive of the idea.
“I am not surprised if they did. I will put it that way. That is just one of those things. There is always speculation,” he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
Time will tell if Bailly is able to force his way into Solskjaer’s plans moving forward, but ultimately with the speculation and comments above, it looks highly unlikely that Arsenal will find a defensive solution forthcoming from their rivals.
Emery does have a headache in that department due to injuries, and so he may well yet get a boost in the transfer window elsewhere.
