Why Chelsea should secure the signing of Antoine Griezmann
According to The Sun, Chelsea are one among a number of clubs monitoring the situation of Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann, as they weigh up a summer move for the Frenchman.
Griezmann started out at the academy of French club Maconnais, before moving to the Real Sociedad youth setup in 2005. The forward rose rapidly through the ranks at the club and made his first-team debut in 2009. He grew into a key player in the coming years, racking up 202 appearances, in which he scored 52 goals and assisted 18.
Griezmann joined Atletico Madrid in 2014 and grew into one of the most feared forwards in Europe during his time with the Rojiblancos. In five years at the club, the 29-year-old bagged 133 goals and 50 assists in 257 appearances before joining Barcelona last summer.
Griezmann’s time at Barcelona hasn’t been easy so far, but prior to the season suspension, he was showing signs of form.
Chelsea’s need of a new striker
The most important piece of business that Chelsea should complete is the signing of a new striker. The Blues went into this season with an unproven Tammy Abraham, an ageing Olivier Giroud and a misfiring Michy Batshuayi as their three centre-forwards.
Abraham made the most of his opportunity, bagging 13 goals in the league, but his form dwindled since the turn of the year.
Giroud, on the other hand, was hardly used for most of the first half of the campaign. But he did make an impression when given a chance in the latter stages during Abraham’s injury-enforced absence.
Batshuayi, though, continues to be out-of-favour under Lampard. With both of them linked with an exit, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if at least one of the two departed this summer.
So signing another top-class centre-forward becomes important for Lampard. And Griezmann, to that end, would be a fine addition. The Frenchman hasn’t been able to settle down at Barcelona so far, but his quality is undoubted. Almost 500 career appearances, in which he has scored 199 goals, speak volumes of his ability and experience.
Despite his mixed bag season with the Catalans, he has still managed 14 goals and 4 assists in 37 matches in all competitions.
A World Cup winner with France and a UEFA Europa League winner with Atletico Madrid, Griezmann would add some much-needed experience and winning mentality to a youthful Chelsea side, while boosting their quality in the centre-forward department.
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Verdict
Chelsea have gone along well with Tammy Abraham leading the line this season. But they need to add a world-class goalscorer to their ranks in order to challenge for the big honours. Especially considering either of Giroud or Batshuayi could be sold in the summer.
Hence, they should make an attempt to land Griezmann, who would not only boost the overall quality of the team but add experience and winning mentality to the team.