Arsene Wenger has been facing immense scrutiny from certain groups of fans who are not happy with Arsenal’s long run without the Premier League trophy. One of their major concerns each season is that Wenger hardly spends enough money in the transfer window while their rivals make marquee signings. With the likes of United, City, Chelsea and Liverpool having 4 of the best managers in the current era, Arsenal need to seriously strengthen their squad to even have a chance of finishing in the top 4.
Antoine Griezmann has lit up EURO 2016 being probably the player of the tournament. While the French team is filled with incredibly talented players, they have failed to really put in a terrific performance, however they find themselves in the final due to some individual brilliance, especially that of Griezmann. With 6 goals in his 6 matches, no other player has ever scored as many goals during the course of a European Championship barring Michel Platini in 1984. For people who watch the Spanish League on a daily basis, this should come as no surprise. Griezmann is one of the major reasons for Atletico Madrid’s success. In each of the two previous seasons, Griezmann scored a career high of 22 goals in the League.
Arsenal’s first and foremost need is for a striker. Olivier Giroud might be talented, but he’s not a title winning striker. You need to have a striker who is scoring 20 goals a season consistently in the League, a landmark Giroud has not even achieved once. Griezmann is very composed in the box, another aspect that Giroud often lacks and regularly takes on defenders and beats them.
Griezmann coming in will certainly inject life into the squad and a combination of Sanchez, Ozil and Griezmann will be incredibly threatening. Even if he’s employed to play alongside Giroud, it could be a lethal combination as the two play together for their national side as well.
Another great aspect of the Atleti man is that he’s fluid across positions up front. He’s used to playing out on the right and through the centre. He exploits the space, is a good passer and makes great runs in behind the defence. Although he is primarily left footed, he’s more than capable of striking the ball with his right. His ball control is brilliant and he can change the game with a moment of magic. As we saw with his second goal against Germany, he is always alert and eager, ready to pounce on a loose ball.
The Frenchman is also a very trustworthy player. Even when he is not in goal scoring form, Simeone can count on him to produce something at least on the pitch and there is never a doubt whether he’s going to be playing or not. Of course being French is another factor that can make Wenger put in a bid for him as the Arsenal boss has had a fondness for French players throughout his tenure at Arsenal. Sir Alex Ferguson in his book Leading states that a team that wants to stay on top needs a World Class player. Even if Griezmann isn’t there yet, he certainly has every chance of becoming a World Class player.
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