Arsenal: Antoine Griezmann Becoming Benchmark For Future Success

Arsenal needs to see some major changes and/or additions this coming summer and one name keeps re-emerging as the benchmark to live by.

Everyone has a theory for what Arsenal needs to do to get back into a competitive playing field. Some will say ditch Arsene Wenger, some will say give him another year or two. Some will say spend big, some will say just change things up a bit with the talent that’s already there.

There are a million different ideas as to who the Gunners should spend their money on this summer as well. With midfield, left back, attacking options and strikers all on the wishlist, the options are out in force.

But one name keeps re-emerging as the benchmark to start that forward-progress with, and that name is Antoine Griezmann.

It’s easy to see why. Griezmann stands for so much more than just a big-name signing. Arsenal has done big-name signings recently. Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez were both big-name signings. But Griezmann presents something different, because he is that upper echelon of big name signings, the kind that Wenger abhors.

Here’s what it comes down to: Everyone knows Wenger has a good relationship with Griezmann. Everyone knows he has tried to sign him in the past, when he was cheaper. And everyone knows – or, at the very least, reasonably assumes – that Griezmann is moving on this summer. He hasn’t come out and stated it outright, but the signs are there.

He wants to improve and the ceiling is limited at Atletico Madrid.

Plus, he has talked up a move to England.

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So all signs point to him coming to Arsenal. Every piece of backstory is there to facilitate a move. All Arsene Wenger has to do is pay the price. And that is the hang up.

John Hartson is dead on in his reasoning for this very move.

“He never does seem to be in for the big, big players,” Hartson said, as quoted by Goal.com. “We now know that this summer Griezmann will probably move from Atletico Madrid and he’s going to cost you £85m and he’s going to cost you £250,000-a-week.”

And that’s the painful truth. All of it is about money and the stubborn stance of the board and/or winger to not appropiae the money needed to secure the players that can actually make a difference at Arsenal.

It wasn’t all that long ago, this past summer in fact, that Wenger said money doesn’t matter if the candidate is right. And he backed that up by spending big bucks on midfield and defensive help.

Next: Arsenal's Potential XI Under Thomas Tuchel

We know that Antoine Griezmann is a right candidate so it’s time for Wenger to back up his words with action. It’s that final obstacle in bringing Arsenal into the modern era of football and it should never have taken this long.

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