After two seasons in the club from Franche-Comté, he joined FC Libourne, competing for the championship of the fourth-tier Championnat National 2. He played there for two seasons before moving to Greek club Skoda Xanthi ahead of the 2003–04 season. During the 2004–05 season, he returned to France where he signed for Ligue 2 club Troyes AC. At the end of the season, the club finished in third place in the league and found themselves promoted to the Ligue 1. After this feat was reached, he signed a three-year contract with Dutch Eredivisie club FC Utrecht in 2005, where he was seen as the successor to René Ponk who had left for Sparta Rotterdam. Under the leadership of head coach Foeke Booy, he made his debut in the Eredivisie on 14 August 2005, when FC Utrecht drew 0–0 against NEC Nijmegen. In the course of his first season, Grandel alternated between great saves and several blunders, which mockingly became known as "Grandelletjes" ("Grandels"). He was released from his contract with Utrecht in November 2007.