Arsenal has been linked with a move for Alex Grimaldo in recent weeks, and the defender could be very close to a switch to the Emirates.
The Benfica left-back is available for less than 10m euros, and he could become the perfect backup to Kieran Tierney.
Mikel Arteta signed Nuno Tavares to play that role at the Emirates last season, but he struggled with inconsistency, and he could now be sold or sent out on loan.
An ideal replacement would be Grimaldo, and the 26-year-old has been on Arsenal’s radar for a while now.
A report on Sport Witness claims the Gunners are expected to step up their pursuit of his signature this week.
It claims he will move to the Emirates if Mikel Arteta’s side can pay just 7m euros.
That fee shouldn’t be a problem and we could now see things get sped up by the Gunners on that front.
Just Arsenal Opinion
Grimaldo is very experienced, and we can trust him to replace Tierney in our lineup with almost no issue.
The former Barcelona starlet has everything we need from a modern full-back, and his arrival will give us significant strength in that part of the pitch.
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Hopefully this is just an alternative. From what I’ve heard about him he calls into the “just okay” category. Tierney’s backup will need to be better than “just okay” since we never know how long KT is gonna be out for these days.
I dont get this at all, he is way down our list of targets and is only a stop gap. It will be desperation if he is signed, i still doubt he will be signed.
I think it’s a good signing and I’ll explain why.
Tavares needs to improve his defense, because he already has pace, dribbling, gets forward, and the engine to go 90 minutes.
(1) Grimaldo provides cover while Tavares goes on loan and learns to defend so he can compete with Tierney on his return.
(2) Saliba is prepared now to challenge White and Gabriel, Tavares can return after loan to compete with Tierney.
(3) 7 million is wise because it brings in a backup LB and money left to upgrade Xhaka and get a DM, and possibly a plan B striker if we sell players.
Would be excellent strategy and likey sell Grimaldo on in 2 years for more than 7 million if he proves reliable as a backup.
We aren’t Utd, City, or Chelsea where we have 40 million to spend on backup players.
Sorry, numbers 1 and 2 the same, but point still stands. It uses Saliba as an example of possible outcome.
Durand, In your 2nd to last paragraph you say ” if he proves reliable as a backup”. That is the problem because we need someone who is proven to be up for the job and able to provide KT with some competition. All the top teams in the EPL have backup players who are fully capable of making the team strong in the absence of others. As we have found out in recent years, our reserve players are simply squad players who can just about do the basics. We need quality. Not cheap alternatives..
The problem with my team Arsenal is that they are good at spotting for other serious teams to buy. They talk about a player almost the whole season and end up not buying him