Barcelona: France’s unexpected exit puts Antoine Griezmann in the spotlight
By Akash Roy
France’s unexpected exit from Euro 2020 at the hands of Switzerland puts the Barcelona star, Antoine Griezmann, to ponder over his future with the club.
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A handful of players manage to grasp the high octane ‘tiki-taka’ of FC Barcelona, but the Frenchman, Antoine Griezmann, has learned it with near perfection. The versatile forward equips five different attacking positions, which makes him a feast for the eyes. His selfless nature was on display throughout the last season, as well as in the Round of 16 last night.
However, after France’s dramatic loss to the Swiss, the focus invertedly lands on Griezmann’s future at Camp Nou. The World Cup winner has impressed in a Barcelona shirt, gelling well alongside Messi. More often than not, he has helped the team orchestrated an attack with fluidity. The question that hangs over his head now is how it would remain going forwards…
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In this transfer window, the Blaugrana has managed to pluck renowned forwards like Sergio Agüero and Memphis Depay from the free agency. That means trouble for Antoine Griezmann either way. Firstly, he would be getting lesser minutes than regular if he continues, and secondly, he might not even be in Barça’s plans. He might be used as fodder to make a terrific sale to balance theirs already distorted finance.
According to Marca, Griezmann was fighting to stay at Camp Nou with consistently good performances for France. Out of four matches in the tournament, he has achieved a rating of 7.55 with one goal and an assist. He has created 11 chances and had had 86% accurate passes for his National side playing as an attacking midfielder behind Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappé.
Last season in the Blaugrana colors, he contributed to 19 goals and registered 12 assists. He was only behind the maestro Messi himself. Such statistics for the 30-year-old presents an impressive resume. Transitively that means it makes Griezmann a saleable asset for the Barcelonistes. La Liga requires every club to keep its wage bill below 70% of their income, but Barcelona’s right now is at 110%!
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As claimed by Fichajes, Griezmann is an alternative attacking option that Manchester City is willing to consider. The Premier League champions have sufficient funds to make their every dream a reality. The club has been linked with acquiring Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, or Jack Grealish, but the Frenchman remains in Pep’s attention if the previously mentioned links do not transpire.