As this summer’s two major international tournaments—Euro 2020 and Copa America—come to a close, the attention of football fans will naturally turn toward the transfer market. A few high-profile deals have already been completed, exemplified by Jadon Sancho’s long-awaited move to Manchester United, but Chelsea has been relatively quiet in terms of buying and selling players so far. Despite the team’s inactivity, there has been much speculation regarding potential recruits to Stamford Bridge.
One of the biggest names to pop up over the past week was Antoine Griezmann, Barcelona’s skillful and versatile talisman. The 2018 World Cup winner will reportedly be offered to the Blues as Barca attempts to cut wages in an effort to re-sign Lionel Messi. Word has also spread that the Blaugrana will not even be allowed to register their other new signings, Eric Garcia, Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay, unless some of the club’s highest earners depart the Camp Nou. This puts Chelsea in an extremely interesting situation.
A move for Antoine Griezmann would be incredibly complicated for Chelsea.
There is no doubt that Griezmann is an extremely talented footballer, having dominated for both club and country over the past few seasons. The fact that Barca is so desperate to offload the Frenchman’s wages, which are admittedly obscene at about €800,000 per week, will also probably allow the west London side to strike a bargain deal for his services. I think most Blues supporters would love to see Griezmann don the royal blue jersey next season, and I am definitely part of that camp. However, a number of conditions regarding the signing would need to be ironed out so that Chelsea does not end up with the similar regrets that the Spanish giants possess.
The first roadblock is obviously how much Griezmann would be paid. There is no way Chelsea would come close to matching his earnings at Barcelona, especially considering Ben Chilwell is currently the club’s highest-paid player at about €220,000 per week. Euro 2016’s player of the tournament would likely overtake Chilwell in this respect, but Marina Granovskaia and the board will certainly not want to inhibit future deals by overpaying an aging superstar. Any move for Griezmann would be nipped in the bud by over-the-top wage demands.
A second issue is the fact that signing Griezmann would have a massive domino effect on Chelsea’s other transfer business this summer. Erling Haaland and Declan Rice, Thomas Tuchel’s reported top targets, have become the objects of unhealthy obsession for numerous Blues fans on Twitter. Many of these supporters believe that the team will need to sign both of these players, and potentially more, in order to keep up with other top European clubs in the dramatic arms race that looks to be taking place. Even just within the Premier League, Manchester United, Manchester City and others are already making huge moves that would render Griezmann’s arrival alone almost irrelevant.
The final major question is where the former Atletico Madrid striker would be deployed in Tuchel’s preferred 3-4-3 system. Fortunately, Griezmann is one of the most versatile attackers on the continent, having contributed as a No. 9, No. 10 and winger for Barca. He would most likely play on the wing alongside Kai Havertz and one of Mason Mount, Timo Werner or Christian Pulisic, forming a seriously dangerous attacking triumvirate that would be an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses on the counter. Chelsea’s high press is also uniquely fitted to benefit Griezmann’s relentless work rate from the front, a skill he picked up under Diego Simeone.
It will be fascinating to see how the Griezmann saga ultimately unfolds, and if there are any serious consequences to Barcelona’s years of poor financial planning. As it relates to Chelsea though, there is no need to be desperate in the team’s pursuit of an established superstar. If a good deal comes along, the board will surely take full advantage. However, if the Catalan club attempts to play hardball and squeeze extra cash out of Roman Abramovich, no deal needs to be made at all. The Blues’ hierarchy must simply remember that it is in total control of the situation.
