When a young French talent comes on the scene, it’s only natural for a club like Arsenal to spring into life and start trying to tempt him away from his current club.
Arsene Wenger knows the entirety of French football like the back of his hand and also happens to know a good player when he sees one. Despite his failings in recent years, he’s still made some of the greatest signings of all time. Many of these individuals happened to be French. I hardly need to list names.
With this in mind, it’s a little bit disappointing that clubs like Monaco and PSG have received a massive cash-injection. More precisely, it’s disappointing for Arsenal that clubs in Ligue 1 now have the financial fortitude to keep the best French players in a French league.
Whilst French youngsters would previously have fled to England for a shot at fame and fortune, that may not be the case any more.
Real Sociedad’s wily winger, Antoine Griezmann strikes a particularly curious example. After all, he’s already branched out and has been playing in La Liga since 2009 (when he first embarked on his career as a professional footballer).
But, if the Press are to be believed, Griezmann is about to have his resolve tested by two clubs with strong French associations: Arsenal and PSG. We’ve come full circle.
The Mirror claim that PSG are willing to meet Griezmann’s buy-out clause of £26m, whilst The Gunners are still looking to drive his price-tag down in an attempt to pick up a real bargain.
Whilst fans may write this off as a typical Arsene Wenger approach, Arsenal aren’t really in a position where they can throw their cash around like PSG. Yes, Arsenal are owned by a rich American business man, but Stan Kroenke seems reluctant to flex his financial muscles.
Still it’d be a shame to let this opportunity fly by. If Griezmann had a choice, I’m sure he’d pick Arsenal over PSG. After all, which ambitious young footballer would really want to play in Ligue 1 rather than the Premier League?
If Arsenal can’t compete financially, they should first attempt to win the heart and mind of the player in question. If they can do that, maybe they’ll get their hands on Antoine Griezmann yet.
What’s your take? should Arsene Wenger write off his pursuit of Antoine Griezmann?
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