Number Talk: Danny Rose vs Alex Grimaldo – Should Spurs Target The Benfica Left-Back As A Replacement?
Tottenham are reportedly interested in a January move for Benfica left-back Alex Grimaldo. The young defender has been earning attention from top clubs across Europe after his solid displays for the Portuguese club at the back and Mauricio Pochettino is understood to be the latest in his list of admirers. It is important for the manager to scout the market for promising left-backs, considering Danny Rose could leave for Manchester United in January. Rose was amiss from Spurs’ lineup with an injury, during which Ben Davies put in a number of impressive performances.
Pochettino will still have Davies for that role but going forward, Spurs will need an alternative to keep pace with their competitors. To that extent, Grimaldo seems like an exciting target. He is expected to cost a sum of £25million which is decent enough for Daniel Levy to agree to.
If Grimaldo completes the move, it will be interesting to see if Pochettino uses the Brazilian ahead of Davies. However, that is a completely different topic and at present, let’s take a look at how the youngster’s numbers compare to those of Rose’s.
Danny Rose vs Alex Grimaldo
Rose has missed out on a lot of action this season, having been injured for quite some time. However, he has managed to make 7 appearances for Spurs across all competitions and he has spent 529 minutes on the field. He has picked up 2 yellow cards and has a pass success-rate of 78.4%. He’s won about 0.4 aerial duels while making 2.6 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 0.9 clearances on an average.
Grimaldo, on the other hand, has appeared 13 times for Benfica in the Liga NOS and Champions League and has spent 1101 minutes on the field. He has chipped in with 3 assists but has picked up a yellow card in the process. The player boasts of a pass success-rate of 84.7%, winning 0.5 aerial duels per game. On an average, Grimaldo makes 2.2 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.3 clearances.
Verdict
It is interesting to note that Rose and Grimaldo have similar numbers even though the former has made about half as many appearances as the latter. However, that does not mean the Spaniard is a poor target. He definitely has the skills needed to become a top-class defender and could achieve a lot at Tottenham in Rose’s absence.
He may have to forego regular playing time though, so that is something he will have to take into consideration. Having said that, Grimaldo is a decent enough player for Pochettino to target but it remains to be seen if the move actually goes through.