Antoine Griezmann| Signs a new contract till 2022

Will we sign Griezmann this summer ?

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Already posted it once here a while back but since a few want to know how he'll fit in - here goes an interesting article on FFT (worth a read):

There are plenty of superficial reasons why Antoine Griezmann would make a suitable signing for Manchester United. The Atletico Madrid forward, strongly linked with a costly summer move to Old Trafford, is a prolific striker in his prime at 26 years old, with enough allure to woo fans and sell shirts. Ed Woodward, United executive vice-chairman and commercial king, would surely be pleased.

But so would Jose Mourinho, for very different reasons. Most observers will identify the Frenchman as one of the world’s leading strikers, the top scorer and player of the tournament at the Euros last year, and the star of Atletico. Yet what makes him particularly attractive to United is that his qualities already seem tailor-made for the project Mourinho is trying to build.

One part of that is down to Griezmann’s sheer talent and versatility. The other centres on the high degree of commonality between Mourinho and Diego Simeone.
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BETTER THAN ZLATAN

The ‘technical’ factors are the most obvious. Griezmann is both a sharp finisher and a playmaker capable of dropping deep. His goalscoring record at Atleti is not in the class of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, but it is consistent: he hit 22 league goals in each of his first two seasons, and has struck 16 this campaign.

All this for a team that use a more reactive style than Barcelona and Real Madrid, in which Griezmann has often operated as the deepest of two strikers.

Certainly, his efficiency is unquestionable. Over his three seasons at Atleti, the Frenchman has put away 23.4% of his shots, a superb average that would sharpen a blunt United attack. To compare, the much-lauded Zlatan Ibrahimovic has averaged 14.8% this season.

Griezmann would also give Mourinho versatility. He can play up front, behind the striker or on either flank. He can provide lively movement around Ibrahimovic, or feed Marcus Rashford from deep. Stats reflect his blossoming playmaking skills: Griezmann recorded one assist in his debut season at Atleti, but has made 12 over the subsequent two campaigns. Since his breakthrough year, his key passes per game have jumped from 0.6 to 1.6 and his passes per game from 23.9 to 35.3.

Adding to that is a surprisingly strong aerial game. That leaves you with an all-round attacker that would add new dimensions to this stale United attack.

And then you have the other crucial element: the mental qualities instilled by Simeone.
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THE SIMEONE PARALLEL

Mourinho and Simeone have much in common. They are fiery motivators who prefer direct and intense football to slow possession play. They usually base their tactics on solid defending and counter-attacking. Intolerant of luxury players, they demand blood, sweat and tears.

At Atleti, Simeone has channelled this through punishing fitness work and mental growth. He parrots the virtues of fighting each day and never giving in – qualities few symbolise like Atleti. He instills in his players a phenomenal capacity to work hard and stick to a gameplan, which is partly how he has come close to bridging the vast financial gap up to Barça and Real Madrid. Looking at his team, there are no exceptions.

Even Griezmann can regularly be seen near his own penalty area, as in the recent semi-final at home to Madrid, harrying players and making clearances.

This is the kind of stuff that warms Mourinho’s heart. The Portuguese manager’s career has featured several disputes with talented attackers averse to defensive work, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Eden Hazard. He has tried to change them, but has more often had to design the side so that it accommodates these players while compensating for the defensive imbalances they trigger. This never happens under Simeone.

It’s therefore no surprise that Mourinho has targeted Atleti players in the past. There were no transactions when he managed Madrid, who rarely do business with their crosstown rivals, but the second summer after returning to Chelsea he snatched three players from the Vicente Calderon: Thibaut Courtois (recalled from a three-year loan), Diego Costa and Filipe Luis.
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HEAVY CHANGES

In this context, it makes particular sense that Mourinho is chasing Griezmann. Since joining Atleti from Real Sociedad in 2014, the forward has been moulded by Simeone, evolving from a threatening winger into an all-round forward.

The growth has not only been technical and positional. The brutal training regime initially left him with heavy legs and an even heavier breath, and he did not get his first league goal until November. But he has adapted. He has credited Simeone with turning him into a winner, and his concentration and endurance now match the high demands Simeone sets.

“Simeone has great rigour, discipline and intensity in workouts,” Griezmann has said. “It changed me completely.”

This means Griezmann has already endured the kind of physical and mental transition that might have been necessary under Mourinho. More than once, Mourinho has sealed a big transfer, only to drop the player because he is not physically or mentally ready; a concept that applies not only to arriving in a new country, but also to a new regime.

One example was Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who got benched at the start of this season even though he was fit, and was only gradually brought into the team once he had spent a few months under his new coach.

The similarities between Mourinho and Simeone would thus reduce the chances of Griezmann failing to adapt at United, which is crucial in a potentially expensive, high-stakes transfer. The required qualities are all there – technically, physically and mentally – and there should be no reason why Griezmann could not have a similar effect to that Costa had at Chelsea in 2014/15.

The match is close to ideal. Now they only need to actually get him.
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strandty said:
Their ban is on registering players. With his buyout clause whether the ban stands or not means jack. If we meet it he's ours.
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Unless he doesn't want to move if it would mean leaving Atletico in the lurch. It'd be a huge blow to the club if they're transfer banned and they lose their star player in the same window, and it would make Griezmann pretty unpopular if he decided to push ahead with it anyway.

It's the only scenario in which his comments about 6/10 and will be decided in two weeks makes any sense to me, anyway.
 
Actually its more David Franco than James Franco but still :lol:
 
GailWynand said:
Already posted it once here a while back but since a few want to know how he'll fit in - here goes an interesting article on FFT (worth a read):

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This article sums up my feelings when I read discussions around where Griezmann will be played and how Mourinho intends to use him. I think his versatility is part of the attraction.
 
Peanut Butter said:
Every club in the world says the same thing about their best players.

What should Atletico say? "We don't want to sell Griezmann but it's likely he will go to a bigger club than us because it's unlikely we will challenge for trophies where as Man Utd have just won two this season."
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Refuse to comment on the matter ?
 
The red panther said:
It happens all the time that they refuse to comment but when clubs literally say a player won't go, he usually ends up staying.
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Like Pogba stayed at Juventus?

If we want Griezmann badly enough then we'll pay the release clause and there is nothing they can do about it.. it would all be done to the player himself then.
 
Peanut Butter said:
Every club in the world says the same thing about their best players.

What should Atletico say? "We don't want to sell Griezmann but it's likely he will go to a bigger club than us because it's unlikely we will challenge for trophies where as Man Utd have just won two this season."
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I assure you that Atletico are not going to bring up our Europa Cup and Carling Cup wins under any circumstances.
 
I didn't realize we had a bunch of boring International games to go before things could get moving, I thought the CL final was the last thing on the calendar before the Confederations Cup.
 
dove said:
I don't think they can block but there is something related to tax so it gets more expensive for the buying club to pay a buyout clause.
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Not true anymore.

http://www.cityam.com/252013/recent-change-spains-tax-laws-could-make-buying-liga-manchester-united

From the article:
The tax administration has ruled that the payment from the club on behalf of the player is now no longer considered income but a capital gain for the player,” Pecourt explains.

“That difference is very important because now when a player fills in his personal income tax, he can point to this capital gain as a loss because he paid the money to his former club. You can not offset a salary as a loss, but you can if it’s defined as a capital gain.”
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Mister_Stubbs said:
Like Pogba stayed at Juventus?

If we want Griezmann badly enough then we'll pay the release clause and there is nothing they can do about it.. it would all be done to the player himself then.
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Ofcourse, but that is the thing I'am worried about. Regarding Atlético's comments it sounds like Griezmann has assured them he will stay or something.

Why else would they say they are certain he will stay ? They could have said something along the lines of we are not planning on selling Griezmann unless a club is willing to pay his release clause in which case it up to the player to decide if he will stay or not and we hope he will stay.

But to say you are certain he will be there next season could indicate Griezmann has given them assurances that he will stay or something. I could be reading too much into those comments but they don't fill me with confidence that this move is going to happen.

I'am certain we are interested, I know he has a release clause and we can pay it but if he wants to come to us or stay with them I'am not sure.
 
SATA said:
Can the lad speak English?
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I'd hope so. I think most people under 30 in europe have at least a basic foundation of english even if only through entertainment (music/movies). He's a big basketball and hip-hop fan, so yeah

 
Personally, I've never understood the hype around him. He's a good player yes but don't think he's in the elite bracket of forwards. I don't think he is that good of goalscorer either. Won't be too worried by him signing for United.
 
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