The Ivorian made just sixteen appearances in all competitions as his side was relegated from La Liga.
For the fourth time since leaving Manchester United, Eric Bailly will be looking for a new club. The Ivorian center-back issued a statement announcing his exit from Real Oviedo on Tuesday after just one season with the club. Oviedo were relegated back to the Segunda División after finishing with the worst record in La Liga this season.
“I want to apologize for not having achieved our goal, and to thank from the bottom of my heart everyone who has supported the team every step of the way, through the good times, and especially through the bad,” said Bailly in Spanish on Instagram.
“Thank you, Oviedo, for your affection. I take with me lessons learned and people I won’t forget,” said Bailly. “I hope the club soon returns to the place it deserves. I will always wish you the best.”
Bailly joined newly-promoted Oviedo on a free transfer from Villarreal in August 2025. He, alongside other veteran signings such as Leander Dendoncker and Salomón Rondón, was intended to add the experience and ability the Asturians needed to avoid relegation in their first top-flight season since 2001. However, the signings never really clicked, and the club finished 13 points from safety.
Bailly had to wait until the end of September to make his debut and was thrown straight into the deep end with a start against FC Barcelona. Barcelona won 3-1, and Bailly returned to the bench the following weekend. Shortly after, Veljko Paunović was sacked, and Luis Carrión was hired as his replacement.
In his first game in charge, Carrión started Bailly against Espanyol. Oviedo lost 2-0, and Carrión benched the Ivorian in seven straight games. The last of those games, a 4-0 defeat to Sevilla, resulted in Carrión’s sacking in December. He won none of his eight games in La Liga and exited the Copa del Rey to third-division CF Ourense. Guillermo Almada was brought in as his replacement, with Oviedo in real trouble of relegation.
Almada’s arrival saw Bailly earn significantly more playing time. The center-back started twelve of Oviedo’s final 22 games to close out the season. The club’s form improved slightly, but defensive collapses, like a 3-3 draw with Real Sociedad and a 4-2 loss to Levante, meant Oviedo’s fate was sealed long before the final matchday. The Asturians were relegated with three games to spare, and ultimately finished 13 points from safety.
Despite signing a two-year contract, Oviedo’s relegation means that Bailly can leave on a free transfer. At 32 and with a significant injury history, he is far from a risk-free signing for any interested clubs, although he certainly has an impressive track record. Before his spell with Oviedo, Bailly played a key role with clubs like Manchester United and Villarreal.
Since leaving Manchester United, though, Bailly has struggled to find a home. He joined Beşiktaş in September 2023, but was dropped from the team after just two months, along with four other players. Beşiktaş claimed it was “due to poor performance and incompatibility within the team,” and his contract was terminated shortly after.
After his spell in Türkiye, Bailly returned to Spain and rejoined Villarreal. His second stint with the club was far less prolific than his first. He managed just seventeen starts in La Liga across his year-and-a-half with the club, limited by injuries and the emergence of younger options. When his contract expired, he stayed in Spain, joining Paunović and Oviedo.
Oviedo finished with the third-worst defense in La Liga, with only Levante and Real Sociedad conceding more than the club’s 60 goals. Almada’s side did have a much better record with Bailly on the field, though. The club won just one of the ten games that the center-back missed in 2026, and lost seven. With Bailly on the field, Oviedo won three of eleven and lost only four.
The 32-year-old will not be at the World Cup this summer, despite Côte d’Ivoire qualifying for the first time since 2014. Bailly has made more than 40 appearances for Les Éléphants, but none since October 2024.
Real Oviedo are set for a busy summer. In addition to losing Bailly, nine players are set to see their loans with the club expire this summer. That includes key players such as Federico Viñas, who scored nine goals in La Liga this season, and left-back Javi López. Manager Guillermo Almada has already announced his departure, as well.
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Image via realoviedo.es.
