Grimes ticked most of the boxes for what we were lacking in midfield. Shame he is not a goalscorer, although he would have cost way more. Older players are sometimes a gamble because they may be more injury prone and suddenly drop off. See Godden for us. However, some outfield players can still be brilliant into their late 30s.
Teams like PSG are moving towards young talented players with around three older heads to tie it all together, even though they play an insane pressing game. I feel Lampard wants us to play that way, but realised early on, and mentioned, our players were not fit enough.
Agree, it appeared our policy on older players appeared to change. Loaning players may also alter, depending who is available.
I don't dispute Lampard will have strong opinions on what he wants and that may well influence final decisions.