Alejandro Grimaldo

[Riou]

This smells like someone we'll be stuck loaning around for three years.

He's gonna be the left back version of Cedric, I think

 

[Entropics]

Anything is an improvement on Nuno Tavares so whatever, but this ends the "we are doing amazing work because we're targeting the exact kind of profiles we need" narrative if it happens. As everything is already saying, we'd be getting another Cedric.

 

[bingobob]

Is he a left back that can play inverted centre back?

 

[Sammy1887]

Is he a left back that can play inverted centre back?

He can barely play Left Back as it is.

 

[Entropics]

Is he a left back that can play inverted centre back?

He's a lateral izquierdo

 

[AbouCuéllar]

So he's Nuno but older?

I have no idea if there's anything to this link, kinda doubt there is, and I am not going to pretend I know anything about Grimaldo since his Barça days, but I suppose he is ahead of Nuno for a reason, and I do know he's a player who is quality on the ball. How his defensive ability would translate to the premier I'm not sure, but then Tierney is not exactly a defensive force, nor Zinchenko, more and more the defensive qualities of a fullback are not hugely important (if they were, AMN and Wan-Bissaka would be world-class fullbacks).

Again, I have no idea if we are after this player or not, but if we are, I suppose he's a decent footballer, Cedric comparisons are a bit off because we were at a different point in our rebuild and were clearly looking for leadership and professionalism in the dressing room as well as on the pitch quality, and Grimaldo is a full 6 years younger than him, and also much more accomplished on the ball, and tbh, the Cedric signing really hasn't been as bad as people make out, he's done well enough for a back-up, and should've enabled us to sell AMN for a decent profit to Wolves, if we had been a bit more intelligent in our work with sales.

 

[FinnGooner]

This would be such a meh signing. Granted, I haven’t seen him much but I remember when he had his breakthrough season at Benfica years ago. He was supposed to go to all the top teams but nobody signed him. And I’m sure every top team scouted him inside out. There must be a reason nobody went for him.

 

[Badger_Revenge]

Everyone should be asking themselves, would I rather play Taveras or Xhaka at left back when Tierney is hurt or rested (as he will be a lot this season)? or player X that we've been linked to?

To my mind, almost any respectable option is better than those two as a stop gap. They were a huge weakness when played in that position, for different reasons.

I kind of miss Monreal.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

We could try and coach Tavares, I know it's a bit of a foreign concept to Mik.

 

[Hunta]

Another soft **** that guys who’ve never watched will talk up as the new Ashley Cole before they want him out after six months.

Sick of it.

 

[AbouCuéllar]

No more Spaniards, please.

Weird there's this anti-Spanish attitude here, when our recent record with French players includes failures like Giroud, Lacazette, Squillacci, Silvestre, Guendouzi to some extent, and in the last decade we've had just one good French player (who too had his issues), Koscielny, whereas we've had two Spanish ones (Santi and Monreal).

In general I see a lot more leeway given and positive bias toward French or French-speaking players here (the favourable way Guendouzi and Pépé are seen around here, for example, when there are lots of reasons to see them much more negatively)...it's an interesting one. Surely the anti-Spanish bias helps explain a bit the general attitude toward Arteta here, too. :/

 

[El Duderino]

Everyone should be asking themselves, would I rather play Taveras or Xhaka at left back when Tierney is hurt or rested (as he will be a lot this season)? or player X that we've been linked to?

To my mind, almost any respectable option is better than those two as a stop gap. They were a huge weakness when played in that position, for different reasons.

I kind of miss Monreal.

Adding a third stop gap option is not really solving anything.

Any quality player who wants to play at LB just needs to look at Tierney's injury record to know that sooner or later they have a shot to cement their place as a starter.

 

[TinFish]

Giroud is still playing CL football

 

[Nunowoolmez]

Would rather we have signed Hickey than go for this guy. Hickey a success in most defensive league in Europe. This guy seems like another Cedric.

 

[Pulp]

When you have Benfica fans thanking god for these rumors, you know he is ****

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

When you have Benfica fans thanking god for these rumors, you know he is ****

His relationship with the club is broken that's why he cheap and fans want to get rid. Just like us with Özil

 

[A_G]

 

[Sanchez11]

Not convinced

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

6M pounds. We spent more on Martinelli ffs.

Low risk signing is not problem specially backup. The player quality is.

 

[Hunta]

Edu after buying a **** LB from Benfica to compete with Tierney a year ago: