da apostaganha： Jose Mourinho is desperate to add Atletico Madrid and France forward Antoine Griezmann to his ever-improving squad this Janaury, and has accepted that he may have to once again break the world record transfer fee – according to reports from the Mirror.
da dobrowin： United splashed a record-breaking £89 million on securing the services of Griezmann’s fellow countryman Paul Pogba this summer, and the Red Devils will have to be prepared to once again flash the cash in order the bring the striker, who finished second is this year’s UEFA Best Player in Europe award, to Old Trafford this winter.
The former Real Sociedad man was the top scorer at this summer’s European Championship, with his six goals doubling any of his closest rivals as France went close to glory in their home country, only to lose to Portugal 1-0 after extra time in the final.
A return of 57 goals in the past two seasons for Atletico has seen Griezmann become one of the most sought after players in world football, with Jose Mourinho a noted admirer.
We think Mourinho should reignite his interest in the French forward this coming January, and even be prepared to once again break the world record transfer fee in order to get his man.
Here are five reasons why, do you agree?
Track Record
It has now been three seasons on the bounce – one at Sociedad and two at Atleti – that Griezmann has netted 20 plus goals in a La Liga campaign, and that is no fluke.
The Frenchman has proven himself on both the domestic and international stages and he is capable of scoring consistently, something he would surely continue to do in the Premier League.
Ibra’s Heir
There is no doubting the importance and stature of the signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Manchester United this summer, with the Swede already proving his worth with four goals in his first four games for the Red Devils.
However, at 34, even the great man himself would admit (or maybe not) that he is coming to the latter stages of his career and can’t be the man Mourinho needs to take United into the 2020s.
Griezmann can be that man at only 25, and could learn a lot from Ibra if he were to join whilst the former PSG striker remains at Old Trafford.
Versatility
These days Griezmann tends to operate as an out-and-out striker, however it is still not that uncommon for the Frenchman moves out-wide to operate as a winger as he did at Real Sociedad; or even drops in behind and plays as a number 10 in a deeper lying role.
That versatility is a rare trait in many modern day players, but something Manchester United have utilised perfectly over the past decade in a number of their players including Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia and even the great Eric Cantona.
The French Connection
France can count themselves as mightily unlucky not to have walked away from Euro 2016 as Champion’s this summer, as Les Tricolores were by far the most impressive side of the tournament.
While Griezmann was undoubtedly the star, a number of United’s other Frenchmen also shone – including new man Paul Pogba, youngster Anthony Martial and Morgan Schneiderlin who made the squad at the last minute in the place of Lassana Diarra.
Griezmann would be in familiar company if he were to join United, which can only be good for him and the club.
On the Up
Looking at Griezmann’s career scoring record so far, it only continues to grow.
In his seven seasons of top flight football in Spain, the Frenchman has bagged 6, 7, 8, 11, 20, 25 and 32 goals respectively per season.
That is impressive reading and shows a player who has the desire to continually improve and better himself.