Arsenal were reportedly close to landing Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann back in 2017.
That’s according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, who revealed during a Q&A that the Gunners would have signed the World Cup winner had they finished in the Champions League spots during the 2016/17 season.
Arsene Wenger’s side finished in fifth on 75 points, one point behind Liverpool, meaning they didn’t land Griezmann, who was then plying his trade with Atletico Madrid.
The news was shared by Arsenal fan @PatrickTimmons1, and these Gunners supporters shared some surprise relief at not signing the French forward.
Twitter: David Ornstein has confirmed that Arsenal would have signed Antoine Griezmann in the summer of 2017 had they qualif… https://t.co/h5OQrOgcu3 (@PatrickTimmons1)
Twitter: @PatrickTimmons1 Lacazette >> Griezmann (@BryanLowton)
Twitter: @PatrickTimmons1 Griezmann is overrated, we got Aubameyang, blessing in disguise. (@Yurt1992)
Twitter: @PatrickTimmons1 I’d rather auba than griezmann tho (@ghostedgooner)
Twitter: @PatrickTimmons1 ngl,griezmann is overrated (@EjinduCollins)
Twitter: @PatrickTimmons1 I prefer Laca and Auba 100% (@HeccyBel)
Twitter: @PatrickTimmons1 Quite frankly dont rate Griezmann wouldnt ve been great in the EPL (@irenahabsi)
Read Arsenal verdict
At the time, the Gunners were desperate for attacking reinforcements.
They were over-reliant on Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud to find the back of the net, so Griezmann could have made a huge difference at the Emirates.
However, with Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang now leading the line for the Gunners, it looks as if, in the end, Arsenal‘s failure in the 2016/17 season was a blessing in disguise.
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