Kevin Whitcher
After the weekend’s defeat, amongst an email discussion with some regular correspondents, the following question was posed…
Compare all AWs signings from France to those from other countries recently. Who would you rather have?
Squillaci, Giroud, Chamakh, Park and Koscielny?
Or Podolski, Cazorla, Arteta, Jenks and the Ox?
It was answered with the simple conclusion –
Grimandi Out
For those unaware, former player Gilles Grimandi is Arsenal’s chief scout in France, a post he took up in late 2005. Previously he has been a director of football at French club Valence, although whether or not their filing for bankruptcy is anything to do with the Grimster is not something I am aware of. Rather strangely, he finished his playing career at Colorado Rapids in the MSL, although before Stan Kroenke bought the team. It was not exactly an unqualified success, as once he got over there, he never took part in a competitive match before calling it a day.
It should be no surprise that the inside track on French players Arsene Wenger used to enjoy in his first years in London has disappeared over the years. Aside from the scouting network of all major clubs being much more sophisticated these days, the men who Wenger would have had closest links with have, in all probability, moved on since he was last active in France in 1994.
There have been successful imports from France since Grimandi took up his post. Adebayor, Sagna and Nasri have – in different ways – proved worth bringing to the club, although they have not actually helped bring any trophies unlike their illustrious predecessors, Grimandi included.
A change in the coaching set up is regarded as having improved the team’s defensive resilience. It is generally agreed that the goals conceded against Manchester City and Chelsea were down to individual errors rather than team shape, although there are valid questions to be asked about the concession of Chelsea’s two free kicks. However, stronger defending for all goals would have seen them prevented. So there is work to do on individuals at the same time as bedding in a new philosophy of being less reckless positionally when the team have the ball. Yet matters would be helped if the quality of the players acquired was better in the first place.
Newcastle have demonstrated that a good scouting system can bring genuine talent from France at cheap prices. Yohan Cabaye cost less than £5 million and Hatem Ben Arfa was not much more.
Arsene Wenger is notoriously loyal to the men that work for him. Perhaps he has to get ruthless if he wants to improve his squad instead of frittering millions in transfer fees and wages on players recommended by Grimandi.
