Where Should Atlético Place a Left Foot That Goes Beyond Defending?
Across three seasons with Bayer Leverkusen, Alejandro Grimaldo made 145 appearances in all competitions, scoring 30 goals and providing 45 assists. Those are exceptional attacking numbers for a player whose main roles are left-back and left wing-back. He added 14 goals and 12 assists in all competitions in 2025-26, maintaining a high level of attacking output in the season he turned 30.
Atlético de Madrid officially announced Grimaldo's arrival on 30 June 2026. His contract runs until June 2030. The club introduced him as a player who can operate at left-back and wing-back, but also in central and attacking midfield.
The question is therefore bigger than who starts at left-back. At what height will Diego Simeone use that left foot? How will Grimaldo combine with the players ahead of him, and who will protect the space he leaves behind? His arrival could change not only Atlético's left flank, but also the way the team builds its attacks.
He Attacks by Alternating Between the Outside and Inside
Grimaldo is not a full-back who simply runs up and down the touchline to deliver crosses. He reads the positions of teammates and opponents, moves between the outside lane, the half-space and central areas, and joins attacks from different heights.
At Leverkusen, he sometimes moved alongside the midfielders despite starting as the left wing-back. If the left-sided attacker drifted wide, Grimaldo could occupy the inside lane. If a teammate moved centrally, he could advance along the touchline himself. His position was not fixed from the start of each move. He could choose the space left open by the movement around him.
That flexibility helped support his goals and assists. He could cross from wide areas, shoot from the edge of the box and arrive closer to goal. He also took direct free-kicks and corners, giving him routes to influence the score both in open play and from set pieces.
Describing him as a playmaker stationed on the left helps explain his role. It does not mean that he remains in the centre and controls every phase of possession. He begins on the left, moves between wide and inside positions, carries the ball forward and contributes to the final pass or shot. The range of positions he can occupy, and the choices available from each one, separate him from a conventional up-and-down full-back.
Leverkusen Gave Him Freedom to Attack
Grimaldo came through Valencia's academy before developing at Barcelona's La Masia. He did not establish himself in the first team and gained most of his senior experience with Barcelona B before joining Benfica in 2016. Across seven and a half seasons in Lisbon, he made 303 appearances, scored 27 goals, supplied 66 assists and won four league titles.
After joining Leverkusen in the summer of 2023, he became the left wing-back in Xabi Alonso's 3-4-2-1. With three defenders able to remain behind the ball, he could advance more freely than a full-back in a back four. The left centre-back and central midfielders managed the space behind him, allowing Grimaldo to move inside or continue all the way toward the penalty area.
In possession, Leverkusen also used an asymmetric shape in which Jeremie Frimpong held the width on the right while Grimaldo moved inside from the left. This was not a fixed pattern repeated in every attack. Grimaldo also advanced on the outside and exchanged positions with the left-sided attacking midfielder.
The key was that he was not restricted to either the outside or the inside. He moved into the most accessible passing lane based on the opposition's defensive position, then chose between a cross, a final pass or a shot. The players behind him supported that freedom, allowing his attacking qualities to influence matches consistently.
Leverkusen won the Bundesliga unbeaten in 2023-24 and completed a domestic double by lifting the DFB-Pokal. Grimaldo was one of the central figures in that team.
After Alonso's departure, Leverkusen dismissed Erik ten Hag after a brief spell and appointed Kasper Hjulmand in September 2025. Hjulmand also gave Grimaldo considerable positional freedom. His 14 goals and 12 assists in 2025-26 show that he maintained his attacking productivity after Alonso had left.
That does not mean he will automatically reproduce the same numbers at Atlético. At Leverkusen, a back three, the positioning around him and the protection behind him all supported his forward runs. Atlético must find a different arrangement that provides enough of those conditions.
How He Differs From Atlético's Left-Sided Options Since Filipe Luís
Since Filipe Luís left in 2019, Atlético have used players with very different strengths on the left. Renan Lodi offered forward drive, Yannick Carrasco and Samuel Lino brought one-on-one dribbling, Reinildo provided defensive duelling, Javi Galán mobility, and Matteo Ruggeri running power and repeated movement up and down the flank.
Each contributed in a particular period or role, so it would be inaccurate to say that Atlético's left side simply failed throughout those years. However, the club did not establish a long-term option who could progress the ball from deeper areas, join the build-up inside, create the final pass and take responsibility for set pieces.
Ruggeri, who arrived for the 2025-26 season, earned regular opportunities as a left-sided option built around defending and running. Grimaldo's arrival does not invalidate what Ruggeri has offered. Their profiles are different, which would allow Simeone to choose between them according to the opponent and match state if Ruggeri remains in the squad.
Nor should Grimaldo be presented as a straightforward successor to Filipe Luís. Filipe combined one-on-one defending, positioning, ball progression and overlapping runs at a high level within the same role. Grimaldo's strongest advantages lie more in inside passing, shooting and set-piece involvement.
They may occupy the same flank, but the distribution of their qualities is different. Grimaldo is not here to recreate Filipe Luís. He offers another way to influence matches from the left.
In a Back Four, His Partnership With the Player Ahead Is Crucial
If Grimaldo plays at left-back in a back four, his position will depend heavily on the player ahead of him. When Álex Baena or Ademola Lookman moves inside, Grimaldo can advance on the outside and provide width. When the attacker remains near the touchline, Grimaldo can move alongside the midfield and take part in the build-up.
His relationship with Baena will be especially important. Baena can move infield from the left and receive between the opposition midfield and defensive lines. If Grimaldo enters the same inside channel at the same time, the spacing between teammates could become too tight and obstruct progression down that flank.
The situation changes if one moves inside while the other uses the outside. Baena could receive high in the left half-space while Grimaldo overlaps. Alternatively, Lookman could stay wide and pin the opposing full-back, allowing Grimaldo to receive centrally. If they can exchange those roles from one move to the next, the opposition will repeatedly have to pass runners and markers between defenders.
The biggest problem in a back four will be the space left behind Grimaldo when he advances. Does the left centre-back move across? Do Pablo Barrios or Johnny Cardoso shift into the vacated area? The player ahead of Grimaldo must also react immediately after possession is lost and slow the opposition's first forward action.
The more freedom Grimaldo receives to attack, the greater the defensive responsibility placed on those around him. His success in a back four will depend not only on what he creates, but also on whether Atlético can protect the space behind and inside him without overloading other players.
A Back Three Requires Enough Centre-Back Depth
Using Grimaldo as the left wing-back in a 3-4-2-1 or 3-5-2 would place him in a role closer to the one he had at Leverkusen. With three players more easily retained in the final line, he could receive higher up the pitch and focus more on arriving near goal or helping the build-up inside.
Whether Atlético can use a back three consistently is a separate question from Grimaldo's suitability for it. As of 10 July 2026, Clément Lenglet has joined Benfica on loan, while reports continue to raise the possibility of José María Giménez leaving this summer. Giménez remains an Atlético player at the time of writing, but the uncertainty around his future makes the opening-day centre-back depth difficult to assess.
At the same date, the main senior options are Dávid Hancko, Robin Le Normand, Marc Pubill and Giménez. If Giménez were to leave, the squad would look short of numbers for the regular use of a back three. Injuries and suspensions would reduce those options further, making another signing or a defined role for younger defenders necessary.
It is therefore too early to treat a back three as Grimaldo's default system. Atlético must first determine how many centre-backs they will have after the transfer window. Simeone may use it as an in-game adjustment, or he may start matches that way if the squad is strengthened. The final squad and pre-season work will provide the answer.
Direct Free-Kicks Offer a Route Out of Stalemates
Grimaldo's set-piece quality is a clear weapon Atlético can use immediately. During his three seasons with Leverkusen, he scored nine goals from direct free-kicks. According to the club, no player in Europe's five major leagues scored more from direct free-kicks over the same period.
A player who can threaten the goal as soon as Atlético win a foul near the penalty area creates pressure before the kick is even taken. Beyond the direct shot, defenders may become more cautious about stepping into challenges, potentially giving Atlético's attackers more room to carry the ball.
He can also contribute from corners and indirect free-kicks. If he takes corners from both sides, his left foot can deliver an inswinging ball from the right and an outswinging one from the left. Atlético have other set-piece takers, so responsibility can be adjusted according to the position of the ball and the intended target.
In matches where Atlético struggle to break down an organised defence in open play, a direct free-kick or another set piece can provide the opening goal and change the terms of the contest. Grimaldo's left foot gives the team another route when attacks begin to stall.
Who Protects the Space Behind His Attacking Runs?
Grimaldo's attacking qualities become easier to use when he advances into higher positions. The trade-off is a longer recovery run when possession is lost. The key issue is not only how quickly he gets back, but who occupies the space until he returns.
In a back four, the left centre-back could move toward the flank while a midfielder fills the centre. If Barrios or Cardoso shifts left, Atlético may temporarily lose a defender in the middle. Baena or Lookman must also react after a turnover, press the first receiver and slow the counterattack.
At 171 centimetres, aerial duels are not one of Grimaldo's main strengths. When an opponent switches the ball toward the far post, the neighbouring centre-back or a midfielder may need to support him. Against tall wingers or full-backs, Atlético should avoid leaving him isolated under high deliveries.
Tackle and interception totals alone cannot define his defensive ability. Leverkusen and Atlético will ask him to defend in different positions, at different distances from his teammates and for different amounts of time without the ball. Whether he can maintain the correct position and coordinate with those around him during longer defensive phases is something Atlético will need to assess after his arrival.
His contract runs until 2030, when he will be 34. Atlético's official announcement highlighted his ability to play in midfield and attacking midfield, which may leave room to adjust his role later in the contract. That does not mean a central move is inevitable as he ages. Simeone's decisions and Grimaldo's physical condition will determine how his role develops.
Success Cannot Be Measured Only in Goals and Assists
It would be misleading to judge Grimaldo at Atlético by simply comparing his goals and assists with his Leverkusen totals. The system, the players around him and the defensive work assigned to him will all be different.
In his first season, Atlético should ask whether the team can progress the ball consistently down the left, whether he can coordinate his positioning with Baena and Lookman, and whether set pieces create more scoring opportunities. They must also assess whether the left centre-back and midfield can manage the space he vacates without excessive strain. If he can function both as a left-back in a four and as a wing-back when required, Simeone's range of options will widen.
Another test will come late in the season and in major Champions League matches. If defensive concerns make him difficult to select in the biggest games, the value of the signing will be limited. If Simeone can change his position according to the opponent and match state, Atlético will have more ways to influence games from the left.
Atlético have signed more than a player who runs up and down the outside lane. They have added a left foot that can move between wide and central areas, contribute to the build-up, play the final pass, shoot and decide set pieces.
To release that left foot in advanced positions, Atlético must decide who protects the space behind him and who occupies the inside and outside lanes around him. The success of the signing will depend not only on Grimaldo's individual numbers, but on whether Simeone can arrange the team so that those around him can perform their roles without being overstretched.