Antoine Griezmann

[Raketa10]

In this thread, we are trying to justify not needed expensive purchase by changing formation or/and playing other expensive players out of position to accommodate that expensive player.

With Griezmann you have to consider more variables.

1. Suarez won't last forever. I doubt he can maintain this level for more than one more season so most probably he won't be our starter in 2019/20
2. Price of 100 mil is huge but it's more than fair in today's market for a player of his level.

So if you take these two facts into consideration things start to make sense in the long term. We will have to rotate heavily just for one season but after that Suarez will most probably end up as a backup for Griezmann.

In 2018/19 season Griezmann would be 27, Coutinho 26, Dembele 21. If you add Messi to them you are set to go for the next 4 years. That's called a smooth transition between generations and we would be among very few who were able to do that in football history. If the price for that is one year of heavy rotation I would sign that immediately.

 

[Blaugrana Bull]

And Messi is getting older too. If he got injured right now, our season would be over and it has been like that since a couple of years. With players like Griezmann, Suarez, Dembele and Coutinho upfront you can win the biggest games without Messi if necessary.

 

[Ousmane Dembélé]

Can't rely on Suarez much longer, he could fall off another cliff at any moment, not to mention Dembele who seems rather injury prone.

Griezmann is a must.

 

[BarçaBarça]

With Griezmann you have to consider more variables.

1. Suarez won't last forever. I doubt he can maintain this level for more than one more season so most probably he won't be our starter in 2019/20
2. Price of 100 mil is huge but it's more than fair in today's market for a player of his level.

So if you take these two facts into consideration things start to make sense in the long term. We will have to rotate heavily just for one season but after that Suarez will most probably end up as a backup for Griezmann.

I agree completely.

And a combination of those two leads to the point, that if we don't buy him, we will have to buy someone else in 2-3 years (unless anyone think Suarez can be good as anything else than a super-sub at that time).

Who should that be?
A proven world-class player could easily cost 150-200M at that time, who knows? (Ask yourself: How much will Kane cost now, in a world-cup year, after 2-3 more world record-transfers?)
(No-one can really predict if the market will inflate or punctuate at some point, but should we really count on that as a club?)
We can bet on talent and wish Arnaiz or someone like him will explode to the stars (risky, imo).
We can buy talent (will all else equal be more expensive than the best players in the world, because potential is the hottest commodity in the market right now - Dembele/Mbappe etc.).

 

[Raketa10]

Can't rely on Suarez much longer, he could fall off another cliff at any moment, not to mention Dembele who seems rather injury prone.

Griezmann is a must.

Don't worry, Dembele will be fine once he settles and starts playing. I am willing to bet he will be superb player he just needs time and a bit of luck.

 

[Centauri B]

Can't rely on Suarez much longer, he could fall off another cliff at any moment, not to mention Dembele who seems rather injury prone.

Griezmann is a must.

No matter how much we hate it, both Suarez & Messi are both on the wrong side of 30.

We need Griezmann, badly.

 

[Raketa10]

No matter how much we hate it, both Suarez & Messi are both on the wrong side of 30.

We need Griezmann, badly.

They are, but with Messi problem is less dramatic. Because of the way he is playing he will last for sure much longer than Suarez.

 

[khaled_a_d]

With Griezmann you have to consider more variables.

1. Suarez won't last forever. I doubt he can maintain this level for more than one more season so most probably he won't be our starter in 2019/20

Griezmann is 4 years younger than Suarez, usually when you need a replacement of an aging player you want someone who can give you longer, 27 isn't old but also isn't long term replacement, I honestly can't see him being a player who retain his for into his 30's like Messi or CR7 (up until last season)

2. Price of 100 mil is huge but it's more than fair in today's market for a player of his level.

This is just assumption, 100M is the price for AM , but when players has such leverage they knew it and they want the extra money for themselves. Sanchez was supposed to be cheap deal with 6 months left and at the end he got huge salary + huge signing bonus etc.
Who says Griezmann won't be same case?

Also there is a question about our budget, fair price doesn't equal great deal. We have to look at Opportunity cost. Well Griezmann deal affect signing other players? would it stop us going after De Ligt and Arthur for example? And do the club really believe that those two (or others) the real deal?

So if you take these two facts into consideration things start to make sense in the long term. We will have to rotate heavily just for one season but after that Suarez will most probably end up as a backup.

In 2018/19 season Griezmann would be 27, Coutinho 26, Dembele 21. If you add Messi to them you are set to go for the next 4 years. That's called a smooth transition between generations and we would be among very few who were able to do that in football history. If the price for that is one year of heavy rotation I would sign that immediately.

I am not sure how he is long term with his style of play and age? We will need someone younger tbh, we are right now gonna face a huge issue when generation 87 start declining badly, Messi , Alba,Rakitic, Busquets,Pique, Suarez all born between 87 & 89 so we will need a lot of reinforcement to replace them , I won't prefer doing that by just adding players who are 4 years or so younger. Let's have players who are actually of different ages to allow smoother transitions as you say

 

[Ousmane Dembélé]

Don't worry, Dembele will be fine once he settles and starts playing. I am willing to bet he will be superb player he just needs time and a bit of luck.

I have no doubt Dembele will become a great player, but if he ends up getting any more injuries his development could be stalled for a year or two.

 

[Raketa10]

I am not sure how he is long term with his style of play and age? We will need someone younger tbh, we are right now gonna face a huge issue when generation 87 start declining badly, Messi , Alba,Rakitic, Busquets,Pique, Suarez all born between 87 & 89 so we will need a lot of reinforcement to replace them , I won't prefer doing that by just adding players who are 4 years or so younger. Let's have players who are actually of different ages to allow smoother transitions as you say

Barcelona can't do that. This can be done by Ajax or Sevilla or Borussia. Top European clubs have to sign best players and not only young players since they have to continue wining all of the time. You can incorporate 2 or 3 very young players like we are doing now with Dembele and probably Alena next year but you can't do that with 50% of players. Also Umtiti, Mats, Mina, Semedo, Coutinho and Sergi Roberto are still young. Alba is also in his best years, so I would say we are not an old team, not even near that. When you are talking about Griezmann you are talking like he is an old player while he is 26 years old. He for sure has 4 or 5 years left on top level in his feet, for me that's more than enough.

What we will need the most is one young controlling CM player but I believe we are working on that also.

 

[Jombi]

Barcelona can't do that. This can be done by Ajax or Sevilla or Borussia. Top European clubs have to sign best players and not only young players since they have to continue wining all of the time. You can incorporate 2 or 3 very young players like we are doing now with Dembele and probably Alena next year but you can't do that with 50% of players. Also Umtiti, Mats, Mina, Semedo, Coutinho and Sergi Roberto are still young. Alba is also in his best years, so I would say we are not an old team, not even near that. When you are talking about Griezmann you are talking like he is an old player while he is 26 years old. He for sure has 4 or 5 years left on top level in his feet, for me that's more than enough.

What we will need the most is one young controlling CM player but I believe we are working on that also.

Unlikely that a support forward like Griezmann has 5 years left at the very top. You expect him to play on the left? Be some type of lone striker with Messi behind him? He'll have to adapt to a different role than what he normally plays that is for sure.

I think we should focus on the midfield. Thats the absolute key to our success. We have Dembele, Messi and Suarez and with Coutinho and Paulinho, we have more goals from midfield than ever before, but that require us to actually give the midfielders freedom to be attacking. Not shackle them by playing them in a deep defensive role in order to accommodate 4 forwards who all demand to play.

 

[Didno]

Who would you get to the midfield Jombi? Are you thinking of some interesting names?

 

[Catta]

If Griezmann doesn't have 5 years on the top, then neither do Neymar and Coutinho

 

[Jombi]

Who would you get to the midfield Jombi? Are you thinking of some interesting names?

That is a good question. I am not a fan of trying to find the "new Xavi" or some type of controlling CM. Its bound to be a very poor mans Xavi. Xavi was unique. We're better off buying quality midfielders even if they dont come with the "new Xavi" tag. I'd love to see Saul play for us, but realize its almost impossible. Fabinho would be great and Lyon have two very interesting midfielders: N'Dombele and Aouar.

 

[Jombi]

If Griezmann doesn't have 5 years on the top, then neither do Neymar and Coutinho

Griezmann is 27 in a couple of months. I can see him decline like Van Persie, Eto'o etc.