The succession is underway. Rui Pedro Braz, sporting director of Benfica, recently met with the father of Milos Kerkez, left back of AZ Alkmaar, in Lisbon, to present him with the project. On the other hand, Alejandro Grimaldo is leaving the eagles, with the Premier League being the most likely destination.
Despite the efforts to renew, Rui Costa and his peers consider the Barcelona-trained player, signed in January 2016, to be lost. More than the money, Grimaldo, 27, is seduced by the possibility of playing in a top league, as is the case in English.
The number 3 of the eagles has left the reds at ease in terms of professionalism. Rui Costa has already had the opportunity to underline this. “My concern was that he was in the last year of his contract and did not offer any income. That is not the case. He has been having an extraordinary season”, said the president of Benfica, last September. The numbers reinforced this certainty and the incarnates believe that the commitment will be maintained. “The joy he has at work is visible”, he noted, on the same occasion.
Referenced a long time ago
In addition to keeping an eye on the evolution of Leonardo Lelo, the 23-year-old Casa Pia winger, the eagles are looking to the 19-year-old Hungarian international from AZ Alkmaar to replace Grimaldo.
Kerkez was already referenced by Benfica, as our newspaper reported in the February 25th edition. After that, the reds intensified contacts with a view to hiring the left-back for the fourth-placed player in the Dutch league. Unsurprisingly, Rui Pedro Braz received the footballer’s father in Lisbon, to make known Benfica’s ideas and goals and what they expect from the young footballer, whose contract with AZ Alkmaar will end in June 2026.
Born in Serbia, but with Hungarian nationality, Kerkez left Gyor for AC Milan in January 2021, in exchange for 200 thousand euros. With no space in the Rossoneri’s main squad, the player ended up heading to Holland, a year later, with AZ Alkmaar disbursing 2 million euros. Even so, according to the Italian press, Milan have the right of preference for any proposal up to 15 million euros.
With Grimaldo gone, those responsible for the Liga Bwin leader were wasting no time in dealing with the succession. And they anticipated Kerkez, at a time when the Hungarian defender has several English clubs in his sights. Since Roger Schmidt signed with Benfica, the Dutch market has been closely watched and Grimaldo’s replacement could come from there.
Spaniard went from expendable to nuclear figure
Grimaldo’s refusal to take the field at Paços de Ferreira, on the last day of last season, almost led to the removal of the full-back. The situation was eventually appeased at the beginning of this season, the player was integrated into Roger Schmidt’s squad and has proved to be one of the figures in the eagles’ campaign. The importance of the full-back is reflected in the numbers he has to present and it is worth highlighting the fact that he is, at this time, the field player with the most minutes in his legs [ver infografia em baixo].
Along with Vlachodimos, he is the player who started the most times in 2022/23, scoring five goals. He is just three shots away from surpassing the best record, achieved in 2018/19. In addition, he leads the ranking of assists (8) in the League.
The Spaniard’s influence on Schmidt’s team is also explained when one realizes that he has already created 50 goal opportunities and was the author of 120 crosses in the League.
City go after a full-back
Grimaldo intends to find a top club capable of competing in the Champions League. In this sense, in a mere speculative exercise, we looked at the English emblems in which the Spanish could fit. From the outset, Manchester City stands out. In the left-back position, Guardiola has used Aké, a central defender, while João Cancelo is loaned to Bayern. Sergio Gómez has rarely been an option.
Tottenham and Newcastle also point to a new name for that position, and Spurs also need to find a coach for 2023/24 after Conte’s departure. Already Arsenal (Zinchenko), Liverpool (Robertson), Man. United (Shaw) and Chelsea (Chilwell) appear to have the starting lineup defined.
Grimaldo’s numbers
