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GOAL correspondent Charlie Watts has warned Arsenal against signing Benfica left-back Alex Grimaldo this summer.
90min has reported that the Gunners have offered the Lisbon club £6 million for the 26-year-old defender, with just under 12 months left on his current deal.
However, speaking on the 'Arsenal Analysed' YouTube channel, Watts has questioned the point of signing Grimaldo. He stated that current backup left-back Nuno Tavares was younger than the Benfica man and was "something to work with."
As quoted by The Boot Room, Watts proclaimed:
“There’s lots of stuff about Grimaldo at Benfica and I was speaking to someone over there about it and the details I’ve got are quite sketchy."
When asked if Arsenal had made a bid, Watts replied:
“I haven’t heard that myself. I’ve heard that there has been sort of discussions about him, that he’s not going to cost too much money and they’ve obviously got Kieran Tierney there as well.
“It remains to be seen what they do if they go for the sort of cheap back-up option like Grimaldo. Personally, I’m not sure they should – and that’s just me talking as a fan, almost."
He added:
“People I’ve spoken to about him don’t really – I don’t get the impression that he’s that good. You’ve already got Tavares who, yeah, I know he’s not had the best of first seasons but he did show flashes.
“He’s younger, he’s something to work with, and I’m not sure replacing him with someone sort of 6-7 years older who, again, isn’t great… what’s the point? But remains to be seen.”
Would Alex Grimaldo be a good fit for Arsenal?
The Spaniard joined Benfica in 2015 having failed to play a senior game for Barcelona, despite graduating from their youth academy.
Grimaldo has since played 249 times for the Portuguese giants and scored 19 times, while also winning the league title on three separate occasions.
The left-back has long been touted as one of European football's most underrated defenders. He may be on the move for a bargain price in the near future with his contract coming to an end next year.
Mikel Arteta is reportedly in the market for a left-back during the current window. The north London club are currently unable to rely on Kieran Tierney due to the Scotland international's consistent injury problems. He has missed 48 games across three seasons with Arsenal, making 87 appearances.
The Gunners' current reserve left-back Nuno Tavares, who also signed from Benfica 12 months ago, is still only 22-years-old. He was unconvincing in his performances last term. He featured in 22 league games but could only help the backline to keep three cleansheets.
