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Alejandro Grimaldo

lomekian

Essays are my thing
So another cheap punt then? Just what we need.
All depends on resources and comparative needs. One suspects that the recently emerged elephant in the room may lead to exploring cheaper options for back up roles in case they need to go big somewhere unplanned for
 

AberGooner

Established Member
Trusted ⭐

Country: Scotland

Player:Gabriel
All depends on resources and comparative needs. One suspects that the recently emerged elephant in the room may lead to exploring cheaper options for back up roles in case they need to go big somewhere unplanned for

We've cleared a number of wages by paying players off which would suggest to me that there's loads of resources.

Personally I preferred the first plan they had in trying to go bigger on guys like Raphinha/Martinez. Ok it hasn't worked and I still don't think Martinez was the greatest of fits but at least it looked like they where actively trying to improve the team.

We've done the whole buy a load of cheaper players and then scramble to find them a loan within a year. I'd much rather 2 or 3 quality signings than 4 or 5 punts.
 

14Henry

Looking for receipts 👀
We've cleared a number of wages by paying players off which would suggest to me that there's loads of resources.

Personally I preferred the first plan they had in trying to go bigger on guys like Raphinha/Martinez. Ok it hasn't worked and I still don't think Martinez was the greatest of fits but at least it looked like they where actively trying to improve the team.

We've done the whole buy a load of cheaper players and then scramble to find them a loan within a year. I'd much rather 2 or 3 quality signings than 4 or 5 punts.
But in order to sign 2 or 3 top players you are always going to need 2 or 3 "cheap" squad fillers.

You can't just sign 3 top players and have no cover at left back or DCM. It's all about balance.

If we ended up the window with something like Vieira, Jesus, Grimaldo, this other guy who's dubbed the next Hazard and a big proven CM signing it wouldn't be bad. With Saliba coming back we would be stronger than last season.

We need numbers and quality and it's striking that balance.
 

lomekian

Essays are my thing
But in order to sign 2 or 3 top players you are always going to need 2 or 3 "cheap" squad fillers.

You can't just sign 3 top players and have no cover at left back or DCM. It's all about balance.

If we ended up the window with something like Vieira, Jesus, Grimaldo, this other guy who's dubbed the next Hazard and a big proven CM signing it wouldn't be bad. With Saliba coming back we would be stronger than last season.

We need numbers and quality and it's striking that balance.
Exactly - the key is that any squad filler players
A) have some areas of genuine comparative strength to their game so can retain use for tactical flexibility (in this case Grimaldo's use of the ball in the final third I guess)
B) Are on sensible wages so can be moved on when it is time to do so. Kola's inability to pass the ball in the middle third was far less of a problem than the fact he was on £100k a week. Pay the big wages for quality guy who you know will fit seamlessly at a high level (Jesus), and make sure any comparative punts Vieira, this chap, Marquinhos are on comparatively low wages, so you can get them out of the door if they don't work out. May be why the Brazillian / Portuguese markets are being looked at - even the top teams aren't huge wage payers, so you can give someone a good rise but still be at a relatively low value for EPL, as long as competition isn't driving the price up
 

The_Playmaker

Established Member
Trusted ⭐
I bet @The_Playmaker wouldn't mind paying that sum for Grimaldo.

Ah still struggling to understand why I would pay £35 million for KWP I see. Truth is it would be around 30 as apparently Sp**s have a buyback.

Prices change with inflation, but a price that doesn't seem to change is the price of a good fullback. Chilwell and Walker both cost 50 million years apart. Cucurella will likely go for the same. AWB went for 50 million.

Nathan Ake is valued at 45 million.

Tierney 50 million

NONE of those players can play left back AND right back.

So dropping 35 million on an England International, Premier League proven young and experienced player who can play left back and right back while offering us something different doesn't seem like bad business to me seeing as after 1 good season he would be worth 50 million.
 

ArsenesCoatMaker

Established Member
Ah still struggling to understand why I would pay £35 million for KWP I see. Truth is it would be around 30 as apparently Sp**s have a buyback.

Prices change with inflation, but a price that doesn't seem to change is the price of a good fullback. Chilwell and Walker both cost 50 million years apart. Cucurella will likely go for the same. AWB went for 50 million.

Nathan Ake is valued at 45 million.

Tierney 50 million

NONE of those players can play left back AND right back.

So dropping 35 million on an England International, Premier League proven young and experienced player who can play left back and right back while offering us something different doesn't seem like bad business to me seeing as after 1 good season he would be worth 50 million.

Looking at transfermarkt KWP is valued at 19m and Grimaldo is valued at 18m. Tierney at 28m and Ake at 22m. Simply buying from PL clubs who have homegrown talent tends to cost you a large premium as we saw with Ben White. Having said that I'm not against KWP either.
 

Dutch D

Well-Known Member & FPL Champion 19/20
He's pretty mediocre as far as I can remember from the Benfica games I saw this year (quite a few by chance, as they played both PSV and Ajax). My policy would be to avoid these types of signings. I feel like LB is a position we need a serious signing (Martinez not an LB btw).
 

14Henry

Looking for receipts 👀
He's pretty mediocre as far as I can remember from the Benfica games I saw this year (quite a few by chance, as they played both PSV and Ajax). My policy would be to avoid these types of signings. I feel like LB is a position we need a serious signing (Martinez not an LB btw).
But what you have to ask is Martinez best position left back? Everything would point to no like you have said. So people asking for him instead of Grimaldo isn't really comparable.

So throwing, 50m on a player, who isn't even a specialist LB to play there would be madness. Especially given the midfield situation we need to address.

Obviously we don't know how things will play out but I'd probably rather have Grimaldo + a 45/50m CM who's specialist in that position than say signing Martinez to fill in at DCM/LB despite being a "specialist" CB.
 

Dutch D

Well-Known Member & FPL Champion 19/20
But what you have to ask is Martinez best position left back? Everything would point to no.

So throwing, 50m on a player, who isn't even a specialist LB to play there would be madness. Especially given the midfield situation we need to address.

Obviously we don't know how things will play out but I'd probably rather have Grimaldo + a 45/50m CM who's specialist in that position than say signing Martinez to fill in at DCM/LB despite being a "specialist" CB.
Agree, I'm saying we shouldn't sign Martinez for that LB position where we need a serious player because Tierney can't be relied on and I rather think he is quite mediocre despite early enthusiasm. I was always quite confused by our serious interest despite me highly rating Martinez as a CB (above Gabriel).

CM definitely priority number one in my opinion so if we can't do big signings for both I would focus there. But I wouldn't pick up Grimaldo but go for Tagliafico for €4m. Would've also preferred Malacia at €15m.
 

14Henry

Looking for receipts 👀
Agree, I'm saying we shouldn't sign Martinez for that LB position where we need a serious player because Tierney can't be relied on and I rather think he is quite mediocre despite early enthusiasm. I was always quite confused by our serious interest despite me highly rating Martinez as a CB (above Gabriel).

CM definitely priority number one in my opinion so if we can't do big signings for both I would focus there. But I wouldn't pick up Grimaldo but go for Tagliafico for €4m. Would've also preferred Malacia at €15m.
Yeah I added in after that you had said Martinez wasn't the answer for LB hit post too soon.

LB is definitely an area we need to improve. It's just hard to see the club being able to afford say a 50m midfielder, maybe 30m left back and a winger as well.

We need some serious action in the market these next 2 weeks.
 

AberGooner

Established Member
Trusted ⭐

Country: Scotland

Player:Gabriel
But in order to sign 2 or 3 top players you are always going to need 2 or 3 "cheap" squad fillers.

You can't just sign 3 top players and have no cover at left back or DCM. It's all about balance.

If we ended up the window with something like Vieira, Jesus, Grimaldo, this other guy who's dubbed the next Hazard and a big proven CM signing it wouldn't be bad. With Saliba coming back we would be stronger than last season.

We need numbers and quality and it's striking that balance.

Sign a CF, as we've done, as well as a quality LB and CM and I'd be fairly confident we'd see a big improvement in the team. Quality over quantity all day.

If we're going to sign cheap fillers at LB for example then we may as well just try and coach Tavares' weaker parts of his game.
 

14Henry

Looking for receipts 👀
Sign a CF, as we've done, as well as a quality LB and CM and I'd be fairly confident we'd see a big improvement in the team. Quality over quantity all day.

If we're going to sign cheap fillers at LB for example then we may as well just try and coach Tavares' weaker parts of his game.
It's whether Arteta has seen enough of Tavares to see that no coaching will be enough. If he knows/feels Grimaldo is significantly better than Tavares for 6-7m I have no problem.... if and it's a big if....we address CM and another wide player/forward. And address them well.

If we go budget LB, winger and don't address CM with quality it's been a pretty bad window.
 

AberGooner

Established Member
Trusted ⭐

Country: Scotland

Player:Gabriel
It's whether Arteta has seen enough of Tavares to see that no coaching will be enough. If he knows/feels Grimaldo is significantly better than Tavares for 6-7m I have no problem.... if and it's a big if....we address CM and another wide player/forward. And address them well.

If we go budget LB, winger and don't address CM with quality it's been a pretty bad window.

Just another player we'd be trying to get off the books this time next year.
 

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