• ! ! ! IMPORTANT MESSAGE ! ! !

    Discussions about police investigations

    In light of recent developments about a player from Premier League being arrested and until there is an official announcement, ALL users should refrain from discussing or speculating about situations around personal off-pitch matters related to any Arsenal player. This is to protect you and the forum.

    Users who disregard this reminder will be issued warnings and their posts will get deleted from public.

The people v Gilles Grimandi

Is Grimandi the worst scout of all time?

  • Yes

    Votes: 20 69.0%
  • No

    Votes: 9 31.0%

  • Total voters
    29

BigPoppaPump

Reeling from Laca & Kos nightmares
In 2006 Giles Grimandi became Arsenal’s chief scout in France. The french talent market had been the bedrock of Arsène’s early success at the club, and Grimandi’s posting there should have seen more of the same, as France began to produce a conveyer belt of the finest talent in world football: Pogba, Mbappe, Kante and Dembele to name but a few.

However, while most of those French talents would have jumped at the chance of playing for Arsenal, Grimandi instead had us waste millions signing utter bums like David Ospina, Sanogo, Gervinho, Giroud and Chamakh.

And it gets worse. Giles didn’t just fail to spot the top talent sloshing all over the place in the French league, he actively counselled against them. See for example:





I am #raging.

It’s easy to say this in hindsight, there’s a reason Kante ended up at Leicester in the Championship. He had his breakout season there and now people are like ‘why didn’t we sign him back then?’ Ok then why did Chelsea wait until he had title winning performances?

Arsène had no use for Kante anyway, he’s not an Arsène type player.

Though I do agree our scouting is terrible, but that’s cos of players we did sign not that ones we didn’t.
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
It’s easy to say this in hindsight, there’s a reason Kante ended up at Leicester in the Championship. He had his breakout season there and now people are like ‘why didn’t we sign him back then?’ Ok then why did Chelsea wait until he had title winning performances?

Arsène had no use for Kante anyway, he’s not an Arsène type player.

Though I do agree our scouting is terrible, but that’s cos of players we did sign not that ones we didn’t.

Shame really, our best period of form in the last few years came when we had a player like Kante (Coq) playing in midfield next to Caz.

It's weird how Arsène took the physical side of the game so unserious towards the end of his career...he once had the likes of Vieira, Petit, Glberto, Parlour in midfield, great players and great athletes...and even on his "Arsène's 11" DVD, he spoke of how important it was to have that power in midfield...then just forgot about it seemingly :lol:

Even the likes of Diaby and Song were more useful than our current options, if for nothing else than their ability to cope with the physicality in England.
 

BigPoppaPump

Reeling from Laca & Kos nightmares
Shame really, our best period of form in the last few years came when we had a player like Kante (Coq) playing in midfield next to Caz.

It's weird how Arsène took the physical side of the game so unserious towards the end of his career...he once had the likes of Vieira, Petit, Glberto, Parlour in midfield, great players and great athletes...and even on his "Arsène's 11" DVD, he spoke of how important it was to have that power in midfield...then just forgot about it seemingly :lol:

Even the likes of Diaby and Song were more useful than our current options, if for nothing else than their ability to cope with the physicality in England.

Yeah I agree, your midfield need to be great athlete’s and be able to do everything to a good level. We have guys who can only pass or only tackle, look at someone like Milner. Not the best at anything but can do everything to a good level and stamina.

Arsène got this weird fetish for number 10s towards the end of his career. Did we really need Fabregas, Nasri, Rosicky, Arshavin with Wilshere and Ramsey coming up all at the same time? Buying Özil when Cazorla could do the same job. He was obsessed.
 

Rex Stone

Long live the fighters
Trusted ⭐

Country: Wales
It’s easy to say this in hindsight, there’s a reason Kante ended up at Leicester in the Championship. He had his breakout season there and now people are like ‘why didn’t we sign him back then?’ Ok then why did Chelsea wait until he had title winning performances?

Arsène had no use for Kante anyway, he’s not an Arsène type player.

Though I do agree our scouting is terrible, but that’s cos of players we did sign not that ones we didn’t.

Leicester signed him after the year they stayed up mate.

Yes he went from Ligue 2 to the PL but we’d signed Sanogo from the same league.
 

Tsar

Member
The thing I dont unterstand is the following:

Why would you stay loyal to an ex-player, which while performing on the pitch, gave the club reports which led to the signing awful players?
I mean, how many chances does one get to prove himself? After three failed players? Five?

I mean Gilles stayed for fourteen years (2005 - 2019) for f**ks sake. I know some signings take time to shine, but surley there has to be some consequences?
 

say yes

forum master baiter
Arsène had no use for Kante anyway, he’s not an Arsène type player.
Why did we try to sign Kante after he won the title with Leicester then?

Arsène definitely would have found a use for a world-class player like Kante. I’ve criticised the end of his time here but he wasn’t a ***** ffs. In fact, I’d say Kante would have suited him perfectly. One player who could do all the defensive work in midfield, which would have enabled Arsène to cram even more creative midfielders onto the pitch.

People like to pretend Arsène only ever wanted pure technicians, but the reality is that players like Gilberto, Coquelin and Flamini clocked up 100s of appearances under him, and Kante is a class apart from all of them. Arsène wasn’t some proto-Guardiola who insisted that every player on the pitch had 20/20 passing.
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
Why did we try to sign Kante after he won the title with Leicester then?

Arsène definitely would have found a use for a world-class player like Kante. I’ve criticised the end of his time here but he wasn’t a ***** ffs. In fact, I’d say Kante would have suited him perfectly. One player who could do all the defensive work in midfield, which would have enabled Arsène to cram even more creative midfielders onto the pitch.

People like to pretend Arsène only ever wanted pure technicians, but the reality is that players like Gilberto, Coquelin and Flamini clocked up 100s of appearances under him, and Kante is a class apart from all of them. Arsène wasn’t some proto-Guardiola who insisted that every player on the pitch had 20/20 passing.

tenor.gif
 
Last edited:

Hleb's Sirush

Established Member
In 2006 Giles Grimandi became Arsenal’s chief scout in France. The french talent market had been the bedrock of Arsène’s early success at the club, and Grimandi’s posting there should have seen more of the same, as France began to produce a conveyer belt of the finest talent in world football: Pogba, Mbappe, Kante and Dembele to name but a few.......

Being a scout is a hard job. It can be very difficult to identify the few gems among hundreds and hundreds of players you watch. The biggest crime here is how Grimandi lasted 13 years as our french based scout with such diabolical results. It must have been obvious at most in a couple of years that he really didn't have the eye to spot talent, even if they were playing in his back garden. The more you think of this the more your blood boils.

I think I finally found out why he couldn't spot great players, courtesy of an interview he gave in 2013: “Yes, but the pitch don’t lie. When you see a guy 20 times … and when you see a kid warming up, you understand many things, that’s where your experience of former player helps.”

:lol:
 

El Duderino

That's, like, your opinion, man.
Moderator
In 2006 Giles Grimandi became Arsenal’s chief scout in France. The french talent market had been the bedrock of Arsène’s early success at the club, and Grimandi’s posting there should have seen more of the same, as France began to produce a conveyer belt of the finest talent in world football: Pogba, Mbappe, Kante and Dembele to name but a few.

However, while most of those French talents would have jumped at the chance of playing for Arsenal, Grimandi instead had us waste millions signing utter bums like David Ospina, Sanogo, Gervinho, Giroud and Chamakh.

And it gets worse. Giles didn’t just fail to spot the top talent sloshing all over the place in the French league, he actively counselled against them. See for example:





I am #raging.

I didn't even read you opening post and voted yes. Then, I stopped read it, thought about it for a bit and voted yes again.

Also, you're doing this for easy likes and I know it. ;)
 

Shalmaneser V

Active Member
Why did we try to sign Kante after he won the title with Leicester then?

Arsène definitely would have found a use for a world-class player like Kante. I’ve criticised the end of his time here but he wasn’t a ***** ffs. In fact, I’d say Kante would have suited him perfectly. One player who could do all the defensive work in midfield, which would have enabled Arsène to cram even more creative midfielders onto the pitch.

People like to pretend Arsène only ever wanted pure technicians, but the reality is that players like Gilberto, Coquelin and Flamini clocked up 100s of appearances under him, and Kante is a class apart from all of them. Arsène wasn’t some proto-Guardiola who insisted that every player on the pitch had 20/20 passing.

Difference is when Guardiola uses a defensive midfielder, they’re usually top quality specialists. Because he understands the importance of the position,Busquets/Alonso/Fernandinho/Rodri.

After Gilberto, Wenger seemed to seriously underestimate that role. His solutions to replace the Brazilian were Song, Coquelin, Flamini and Arteta. Who all cost a combined 11M. Granted Guardiola always had bigger budgets to work with, but I refuse to believe we lacked the finances to find more viable and worthy alternatives.
 

BigPoppaPump

Reeling from Laca & Kos nightmares
Why did we try to sign Kante after he won the title with Leicester then?

Arsène definitely would have found a use for a world-class player like Kante. I’ve criticised the end of his time here but he wasn’t a ***** ffs. In fact, I’d say Kante would have suited him perfectly. One player who could do all the defensive work in midfield, which would have enabled Arsène to cram even more creative midfielders onto the pitch.

People like to pretend Arsène only ever wanted pure technicians, but the reality is that players like Gilberto, Coquelin and Flamini clocked up 100s of appearances under him, and Kante is a class apart from all of them. Arsène wasn’t some proto-Guardiola who insisted that every player on the pitch had 20/20 passing.

Well everyone would want him after his performances at Leicester he showed his worth. But before that I doubt Arsène would want a diminutive CM that isn’t that great of passer. He liked midfielders that retained possession, He got rid of Coquelin first chance he got and Flamini was a good passer of the ball same as Gilberto.

Regardless that’s not my point anyway, the point is you can’t judge it on hindsight or who we never got cos you can’t tell how they’ll turn out.
 

BigPoppaPump

Reeling from Laca & Kos nightmares
Leicester signed him after the year they stayed up mate.

Yes he went from Ligue 2 to the PL but we’d signed Sanogo from the same league.

Oh I thought they signed him in the Championship, I think I was thinking about Mahrez. Still no one knows how good he was gonna turn out.
 

Latest posts+

Top Bottom