Alejandro Grimaldo to Benfica: Latest Transfer Details, Reaction and More
Benfica completed the signing of Barcelona B skipper Alejandro Grimaldo for €1.5 million (£1.1 million), it was confirmed on Tuesday.
The Blaugrana announced the deal on their website, in which it’s noted the European champions "retain the right to a share of any future sale by the Portuguese club of the player."
Grimaldo, a left-back, has been at Barcelona for seven years. As you would expect from a La Masia graduate, the 20-year-old is technically sound, inventive in possession and an extremely intelligent footballer. He was part of Barca’s pre-season squad in 2014-15, but he has never featured for the senior side.
Here are a few clips that illustrate the kind of quality Grimaldo will bring to the Portuguese outfit:
Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe thinks it’s a brilliant deal for Benfica and outlined why the defender has decided to leave the club:
The decision to sell the youngster has not been greeted with glee by the Barcelona fans, especially given there’s no mention of a buyback clause in the player’s Benfica deal.
Grimaldo has shown that not only is he a talented footballer during his time with the B team, but he’s an excellent leader, too. For Barcelona to lose a local player who is clearly an inspiration is rather peculiar, especially for a club that prides itself on blooding academy talents with strong characters in the first team.
Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez feels as though the board have made a huge error letting the youngster leave the club:
It’s been common for La Masia talents to move on lately. Gerard Deulofeu and Adama Traore were also sold on last summer, even though both players were expected to be integrated into the first team further down the line. Grimaldo clearly couldn’t see a pathway to the senior side either and, with his contract running down, is evidently happy to take his chances elsewhere.
Barcelona look as though they’ll be privy to a substantial portion of any fee should Benfica sell the player in the coming years and, with Jordi Alba in situ, are not completely short of options at left-back. However, along with the sale of other bright academy talents, this transfer seems to have left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Blaugrana fans.
