Smart Transfers: Granada

As the winter transfer window has drawn to a close, we will use Smarterscout’s advanced metrics and league benchmarking to assess the transfer business of selected teams that caught our eye.

La Liga clubs have been busy this winter as a good deal of transfer business was conducted. Among the most active clubs were relegation-battlers Granada, who saw nine incomings. Unlike some of the teams we have previously looked at such as Hellas Verona, Granada did not lose many senior team figures. Bryan Zaragoza was the only significant departure as he left for Bayern Munich, so their main focus was strengthening their squad.

Bruno Méndez (from Corinthians)

With an average of two goals conceded per game at the time of writing, it is clear that Granada’s defense desperately needed strengthening if they were to have any hopes of overturning a significant points deficit in the relegation battle. So, they heavily focused on strengthening at the back.

So, one of their first signings was Bruno Méndez from Corinthians. This is an interesting move because the 24-year-old defender can play as a right-back or right-sided center-back. He spent more time in the former role at Corinthians in the last couple of seasons but was not nearly good enough for the Spanish top-flight level according to our model, which is why it flags a warning.

In his limited time as a center-back for Corinthians, though, he looked pretty good. His defensive work was quite solid, and he also offered good passing on the ball. His previous loan at Internacional was not so successful in this position, but Real Betis seemed to have bet on his development.

Indeed, he has mostly been fielded as a right center-back since arriving in Andalusia. His work so far looks very good, so Betis appear to have made a smart move by signing him.

Kamil Piątkowski (on loan from RB Salzburg)

Méndez wasn’t the only center-back that joined Granada this January, as Kamil Piątkowski also came in on loan from RB Salzburg.

From the player’s perspective, this move makes total sense. He has been given very little game time by the Bundesliga champions in the first half of this season, so seeking it elsewhere clearly makes sense. His qualities – which are centered around defending because of his success in duels owing to his imposing stature – also seem well-suited to a low-possession relegation-battling team even though he has previously impressed for higher-table sides such as Gent and Raków Częstochowa.

As another right-sided center-back, though, he might not have been the best signing to follow Méndez. Unless Granada initially calculated that the Brazilian would predominantly slot in at right back, this seems an excessive amount of squad depth for them to have. Indeed, Piątkowski has been out of the XI more often than not so far in Spain, so he might have to adapt to a left center-back role to become a more regular starter.

Martin Hongla (from Hellas Verona)

Strengthening just the center-back position cannot entirely fix a team’s defense, and Granada seem to have recognised that by signing defensive midfielder Martin Hongla, who can also double as a center-back if needed.

The Cameroonian international has perhaps suffered as a result of his versatility because he has barely gotten any consistent game time in a single position in the last few years. On the odd occasion that has happened, it has been in a defense-focused midfield role.

In those cases, he showed decent on-ball quality but his defensive work was rather concerning by our model assessment. With that in mind, we can say that Hongla may offer good versatility in Granada’s defense but not great quality.

Faitout Maouassa (on loan from Club Brugge)

On the left side of their defense, Granada have brought in Faitout Maouassa.

In recent seasons, he has been used in a more attacking role as a left wing-back or even left winger. A few seasons ago, though, he regularly featured as a left-back in Ligue 1, which is presumably what Granada want to see from him in Spain.

He showed good attacking qualities in those roles such as progressive passing and especially dribbling, but crucially also offered good defensive solidity and strength in duels. If the Frenchman can replicate those performances in Spain, he should prove to be a good signing for Granada.

Marc Martínez (from FC Cartagena)

Granada have also signed a couple of goalkeepers after the departure of André Ferreira. One of them was Marc Martínez from the Spanish second-tier, who is rated as a decent shot-stopper in open play situations by our model.

He has not seen any La Liga action yet, so the Spaniard seems a clear second choice.

Augusto Batalla (on loan from River Plate)

Augusto Batalla, then, appears to be Granada’s new number one. He too showed decent shot-stopping qualities in his recent seasons in Argentina, but he has a clear edge over Martínez when it comes to ball-playing and passing according to our model.

Theo Corbeanu (from Wolverhampton Wanderers)

We will now jump right to the other end of the pitch because Granada have also strengthened their attack in all positions.

Theo Corbeanu is a good player to start with as he can play across the front line behind a striker. His primary position is off the right, where he looked good in the first half of this season on loan at Grasshoppers in Switzerland.

Apart from that, the young Canadian forward has seen little consistent game time in any one position in his various loan stints so far, but has consistently shown decent quality throughout. As far as young squad depth options go, he seems a good one for Granada.

Kamil Jóźwiak (from Charlotte FC)

Kamil Jóźwiak is another attacker who can play across the front line behind the striker, though he too has mostly featured off the right of late.

Our model does not expect this move to pan out too well, as the Polish international’s attacking output in MLS wasn’t nearly good enough to translate well to La Liga.

Of course, the 25-year-old forward may find a great patch of form or thrive in a specific role that maximises his aerial and link-up passing strengths, but the odds of it are not looking great.

Facundo Pellistri (on loan from Manchester United)

Another youngster Granada have added to their attack is Manchester United loanee Facundo Pellistri.

He recently spent a year in Spain with Alavés, but didn’t get a great deal of regular game time then. That seems to be the problem that has plagued him throughout his career since leaving Uruguay, but as someone coming from Manchester United, Granada will trust that he has the quality to be a difference-maker for them.

Matías Arezo (returning from loan from Peñarol)

None of Granada’s attacking signings look likely to replace joint top-scorer Bryan Zaragoza. Perhaps, then, they are banking on returning loanee Matías Arezo to do the damage.

The 21-year-old forward enjoyed a successful 2023 in Uruguay, scoring over a goal every two games on average. Our model was quite impressed by his shooting threat and he also got into good positions inside the box fairly consistently, producing good attacking output.

Our model thinks he is ready to make an impact in the Spanish top-flight, and Granada will hope that is true.

Verdict

Granada’s transfer work can be divided into two parts: their defensive strengthening and attacking additions.

Their defensive signings seem quite solid as they have strengthened the heart of their defense with the right profile of players for a relegation battle, which will hopefully lead them to leak in fewer goals. However, their attacking work looks a bit concerning as the output of Bryan Zaragoza appears to be inadequately replaced, so all things considered, they could well end up remaining as they are in terms of overall quality.

By Neel Shelat