Arsenal ae on the hunt for a new left-back ahead of the Premier League campaign which gets underway in less than a month on August 5. It was an area of weakness last season, and Edu is trying to solve the issue in the transfer market .
Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez was Edu’s ideal player to solve this problem according to The Athletic. However, a deal has proven difficult to complete and it seems that Arsenal’s technical director has turned his attentions elsewhere.
Arsenal have reportedly submitted a bid for Benfica full-back Alex Grimaldo. A potential deal will be extremely similar to Nuno Tavares' transfer to the club last season, considering they would be joining the club from the same team, in the same position and for a similar price. But, Mikel Arteta will hope a transfer for Grimaldo sees more success than the arrival of Tavares.
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According to Portuguese news outlet A Bola, Arsenal have submitted a €7million (£6million) bid for the Spanish full-back. The north London side had also been linked to Grimaldo in the past.
The Spanish international has tons of experience and has shown the quality which would also see him compete with Kieran Tierney for a starting spot in the team, instead of just being an understudy to the Scotsman.
The Gunners will need to strengthen at left-back to have better cover for Tierney who has been prone to injury since making the switch from Celtic in 2019. Grimaldo would certainly be a good transfer option,
Grimaldo came through the ranks at La Masia before making 92 appearances for Barcelona B. He would then move on to Benfica where has gone on to make 249 appearances for the Portuguese side and has impressively contributed with 50 assists since his move.
The 26-year-old also has the versatility to his game as he can also be utilised as a winger, where he has also played on numerous occasions for Benfica this season. This highlights his impressive attacking ability because he is able to play further up the field which would be useful for Arsenal next season.
Arsenal had already signed a full-back from Benfica in the previous summer transfer window after Tavares joined the club for a £7m fee. Despite an impressive start to life in north London, Tavares gradually showed his defensive vulnerability and inexperience in the position.
It is because of this that Tavares has been linked with a move away from the club with French news outlet L'Equipe reporting that the Portuguese youngster could move to Marseille on a loan with an option to buy with the French side’s president Pablo Longoria currently working on a deal.
Grimaldo certainly has more experience and defensive quality than Tavares so Arsenal will be hoping for a better outcome this summer when buying a cheap full-back from Benfica.
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