Leandro Grimi - a big club scout's opinion

I work for an unofficial Milan fan club here in Norway, and a few days ago we were lucky enough to get some comments on Grimi from Tor Kristian Karlsen, currently a scout for the German club Hannover and widely recognized in Europe as an authority on the topic of South American talents. I translated what he had to say, and I'm happy to be able to present it to you on behalf of www.acmilan.no:

My immediate reaction to the transfer of Grimi to Milan was one of surprise. Some formalities do remain before the player will be made an official member of the squad. Grimi will not be purchased by Milan before he has an EU passport - something the Italians were assured the boy already had - and according to my latest information, Grimi's agent Marcelo Simonian has returned to Buenos Aires to accelerate this process. Usually such paperwork is merely a formality though.

The Racing fullback is a promising player, no question about that, but hardly of the quality you'd expect from a Milan player. He has just gotten his breakthrough in the Argentine league, and less than a year ago he was an unknown player at Huracan in the Argentine second division. Clubs like Milan rarely buy talents from South America unless they have played for their national teams and in prestigious youth tournaments.

Grimi was decent in the Apertura tournament, though he didn't prove anything that would make you think that he'd be good enough for a transfer to the San Siro. Actually, Grimi struggled to adjust to the pace of the game at Racing, which showed in his sloppy passing and problems with positioning. But he is technically gifted, and he has a direct, attacking style of play. He is also great at timing the transition from defending to attacking, and he is physically strong with great stamina. According to what I have heard, his attitude off the pitch is very professional, and attitude is something that you always have to keep in mind when dealing with South American players.
Still, his defensive weaknesses and tactical deficiencies are so obvious that I am surprised he is joining AC Milan. His performances have also been very inconsistent, and he has not made any headlines in the Argentine media or been linked to other big clubs.

However, it is definitely possible that Milan's scouts - whose competance and work I have no reason to judge, question and certainly not criticize - saw "something" in the player that I haven't spotted. Still, I think this player was brought to Milan as a temporary solution, as two million Euros is a small price to pay for such an affluent club.
With the proper tactical training (and the Italians are the best in the world when it comes to this), Ancelotti and his team of coaches are probably hoping that Grimi can make his contribution in less important matches and when other players are out injured. I would not be surprised if he joins one of Milan's feeder clubs on loan next season.

The search for a player who can hold the left back position in Milan's team for the next ten years will probably continue, because I have problems imagining that Grimi could become anything more than a temporary acquaitance. If the player was 2-3 years younger, this transfer would make far more sense to me.

Sounds like we shouldn't be getting our hopes up...