Gilles Grimandi interview on his Arsenal scouting role

On why stats-based scouting can be a bad thing:

This job has evolved a lot. Data is taking a stronger and stronger place. You have to really argue to be against data. In a club, statistics give people the chance to exist who have little knowledge. And these numbers act as a safety guard for decision-makers who lack courage. That, yes, that annoys me. The other problem, is that the players are aware of this trend.

About how stats can be misleading:

I ask myself to what extent they’re playing to make their numbers good, the duels they have won, the amount of kilometres they have run. It is not particularly positive: I can win 100% of my duels if I refuse to accept everything that I am risking to lose.

We see more and more players fleeing the duel and I think that there is a risk that this continues until statistics count this refusal of a player to engage himself. Among very talented youngsters, the duel is a missing weapon.

On facing Monaco:

Wenger watches them regularly, and I have seen them nine or ten times this season. We also have a specialist who watches all our opponents, which is a different role to mine.

On his scouting work this season so far:

About 40 [Ligue 1 matches attended], maybe. Sometimes, I can see three in one weekend. I take a particular view on these matches. When I bump into scouts who were managers, like François Brisson, I hear them speak at half time about a game that could topple over for one reason or another. I am looking at other things, I focus on one player and I am disengaged from the tactical aspects.

On not getting enough credit as a scout:

Recruitment is judged over a long period. Nobody has a 100% success rate. But in terms of a ratio of Euros spent to performance, I think we are not doing badly. At the moment, our role is becoming a bit less important. In the face of an elite market, the scout has less of an important role compared to the negotiator.

On Arsenal's season so far:

Our club is extremely, internally solid. On the outside, people attempt to destabilise it, but the club never shakes. At the moment, we are suffering in some positions where injuries are hurting us, but we are in the last 16 in the Champions League for the 17th time and we have already overcome some very difficult moments. It is thanks to our stability. Today, we must be very ambitious. And that is why the matches against Monaco are very important for us.