Newcastle United have been enjoying a fantastic season so far and Eddie Howe will be absolutely thrilled with the rapid progression his squad has made in the short time they have been together.
The Magpies are currently fifth in the Premier League table following the incredible form that has seen them concede just two defeats over their 23 outings – fewer than any other side so far – as well as getting to their first domestic cup final since 1999 at Wembley last weekend.
Despite the success on Tyneside of late, there is still plenty of work to be done to fine-tune the squad so that Newcastle can really become competitive for trophies and comfortably compete in Europe, should they qualify this season.
As a result, Howe will surely be looking for areas of his team that can be improved upon and the left-back position is one of the most obvious places to start with centre-back Dan Burn currently occupying the spot on the left flank.
One player who has been linked to Newcastle and could replicate Kieran Trippier’s impact on the opposite side next season is Benfica’s Alejandro Grimaldo – a talented and versatile fullback who could make the move to the North East for free as his contract expires in the summer.
Could Howe repeat his Kieran Trippier masterclass with Grimaldo?
There is no doubt that Burn is solid in his defensive attributes but finding a player who can offer the progressive presence that Trippier provides on the right would be massively advantageous to Howe and could considerably improve the pressing machine that the manager has developed in every other area of the pitch.
Over 21 Liga Portugal appearances, Grimaldo has scored two goals, delivered six assists, and created a whopping 13 big chances, as well as averaging 86.4 touches, 50.5 accurate passes, 2.1 key passes, 1.1 successful dribbles, two tackles, and 4.7 duels won per game.
Meanwhile, Trippier has created 3.1 chances per match and produced 18 ‘big chances’ for his teammates in total, which shows that both players excel at making things happen in the final third on a regular basis.
Not only that, the Spanish sensation – hailed “incredible” by presenter Alexandra Jonson – ranks in the top 15% of his positional peers across the ‘Men’s Next Eight Competitions’ for non-penalty goals, assists, progressive passes, shot-creating actions and pass completion rate over the last 365 days, proving that he is extremely effective in progressive play.
When comparing Grimaldo with Burn over the season so far, it is clear that the Benfica ace would be a huge upgrade, outperforming the defender in a number of attributes including tackles and interceptions won (64 v 45), goal-creating actions (11 v 1), progressive passes (118 v 71) and ball recoveries (114 v 98).
Just like Trippier, the 27-year-old is extremely experienced in his position with 325 appearances tallied up in the left-back role, so not only can the powerbrokers at St James’ Park save millions by acquiring Grimaldo’s services for free but also add a player who is proven and confident in the position.
With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Newcastle to secure the signing of Grimaldo this summer and if he can replicate his current output in the Premier League, it would add some great quality to the squad next season and could be a case of Trippier 2.0 for Howe.