The Devil's Den

Should Manchester United Let Eric Bailly Go? [viz by The Devils Den] Bailly Arrives At Manchester United Eric Bailly signs for Manchester United [via Daily Express] On 8th June 2016, Eric Bailly became the first signing of the Jose Mourinho era when he was signed from Villarreal on a 4-year contract for a fee of €30 mn. The promising young Ivorian was regarded as the "next big thing" at the heart of the central defence for Manchester United. But his ride has been rough in England. A host of consecutive injuries have halted the Ivorian's career growth at Old Trafford. The Ivorian Came With A Reputation Bailly established himself as one of the best CBs in La Liga [via BBC] Eric joined the Red Devils as one of the best center backs in the La Liga during the 2015-16 season and playing a key role in the impressive Europa League run of Villarreal seeing them progress to the semi-finals. With a United Defence which lacked a strong, physical and brutal defender at that time, the...

Europe’s Most Wanted Defender An analysis on one of the world’s most sought-after centre back, and no it's not Phil Jones Not many players are privileged to play for their hometown club, many youth players may not be good enough to make the grade and hence, released once their youth contract expires. The demands of a footballer are high, especially in Europe where money can be spent seamlessly to fill a hole in the team. That said, when Torres became Villareal’s first local debutant in 13 years against CD Toledo in the Copa del Rey in the 2016/17 season, expectations on him were high and we can see him relishing his potential today.   Pau Torres is currently living the dream as a boyhood Villarreal fan, playing regular football for both club and country whilst being amongst the radar of Europe’s elite. The centre back has impressed alongside Raúl Albiol at the heart of defence for the yellow submarines, as they chase European football for the second successive season, this tim...

Can Jules Kounde solve Manchester United's defensive issues? [via Brazil Scout] Harry Maguire was part of the first transfer window under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The England international arrived at Ol d  Trafford for a world-record fee of €80 million . The hi ghest ever for a defender. But things haven't really gone too well for the player. A defender to compliment him is still an enigma for Manchester United. The near-perfect CB, Eric Bailly , is almost always injured. The Victor Lindelof pairing is not up to the mark and Axel Tuanzebe is relatively inexperience d . The club is looking for a new CB who can complement well for Maguire’s shortcomings. Amongst a host of options, Jules Kounde of Sevilla seems to be perfectly suited for the role. Here in this article, we see how Jules Kounde  will fit into Solskjaer's starting XI and form a world-class CB partnership with the skipper. The club will be hoping that th...

Brighton's Bissouma could prove to be a clever acquisition by Manchester United Manchester United have joined the race for Brighton midfielder, Yves Bissouma. United have a plethora of midfielders at their disposal, yet lack a specialist CDM apart from Nemanja Matic . The Red Devils would be eager to not miss out on an opportunity to sign one of the most sought-after talents . Who is Yves Bissouma? The 24-year-old Malian professional plays as a central midfielder for PL club Brighton and Hove Albion and the Mali National team. Yves started his career at the Majestic SC Academy in 2009, where he played with Adama Traore. He joined AS Real Bamako in 2014. Lille Bissouma got his first real break at LOSC Lille Bissouma joined Lille OSC from AS Real Bamako in 2016. He signed his first professional contract with the club after 4 months of joining for a duration of 3 years. During his time, He appeared in 57 games, scoring 4, assisting 2.  Brighton & Hove Albion In the course of 2 ...