Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger was spotted chatting with Atletico Madrid’s talisman Antoine Griezmann last night during the finals of the UEFA European Championship 2016. Pictures of the two men in conversation went viral, as Arsenal are looking to bring a striker to the Emirates stadium for the next season. With Jamie Vardy turning down Arsenal’s offer and Olivier Giroud unable to lead the Arsenal attack with his inconsistent performances, Griezmann could be one of the players Wenger could make a move for.
Arsene Wenger was working for French Television as a pundit alongside former Gunner Robert Pires and former Chelsea player Marcel Desailly. Arsenal fans took to twitter to plead Wenger to bring Griezmann to the club for the next season. Former Arsenal midfielder Raymond Parlour who played under Wenger during his stint at Arsenal was one of the many who want to see the France number 7 at Arsenal. “We'd love to see Griezmann at Arsenal” he was quoted as saying to Sky Sports. Wenger has been a huge admirer of Griezmann backing him to be a contender for the Ballon d’Or. “Griezmann for me is one of the candidates for the Golden Ball; Age is on his side and look at the Euros: six goals, three or four assists -- these stats are not nothing. This year he went to the Champions League final by scoring in all the big games, not to mention that he scored 22 goals in La Liga. So yes, why not the Ballon d'Or?” said Wenger to Konbini.
Griezmann, the Golden boot winner at the Euros has developed into a world class forward since his move to Atletico Madrid from Real Sociedad. He recently signed a contract that would keep him at Atleti for the next five years. His market value has risen considerably due to his incredible performances in the European Championships which included netting six goals. Griezmann has lead Atletico’s attack ending up as the top goal-scorer for Atleti in the last two seasons.
Arsenal would have to splash big money if they want their man. Griezmann teaming up with the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey could make Arsenal title contenders alongside Premier League giants Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool. Arsene Wenger may well be in his last few years as Arsenal manager with many fans favouring his departure.
Other players who have been linked to a move to the Emirates include Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain and Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata. Higuain won the Capocannoniere (the golden boot for Serie A) after scoring a record 36 goals for Napoli and is expected to fetch a huge price tag. No other player in the Serie A scored more than 20 goals last season. Alvaro Morata on the other hand has just made his move back to Real Madrid after the Los Blancos decided to revoke the buy-back clause in his Juventus contract. Morata could cost the Gunners upto €70 million.
