Arsenal were strongly linked with a move to sign Antoine Griezmann this summer, with the bookies pricing him up as short as 5/2 to join before the window closed.
The forward has now declared that he will only leave Atletico Madrid if/when boss Diego Simeone leaves his post, and we are all aware that Arsene Wenger’s current contract runs out at the end of the season.
Many Arsenal fans have made it quite clear that Simeone would be their first choice to come and take over from the ageing Frenchman, although it had previously been believed that he would be hard to tempt from his current role.
The former international midfielder has heavily impressed in disrupting the dominance of Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, and could now be willing to take on a new challenge, of trying to take profit-pioneering Arsenal side to challenge the likes of Chelsea and the huge-spending Manchester clubs.
The Gunners are the only club who have a record of keeping managers on the long-term, and while the likes of Manchester United boasted this record with Sir Alex Ferguson, neither of their last two managers have been able to see out their contracts.
The Gunners know replacing Wenger will not be an easy task, but should Simeone look for an exciting challenge, he need look no further than Arsenal.
Our club has finished in the top-four for the last 20 seasons, despite spending considerably less than their rivals for some time, and we have one of (if not the) best stadium/s in England.
The board would surely be unable to turn the Argentine coach away, although the fee needed to convince his club to part ways with their goalscoring forward may prove a tougher task.
Could our board allow Simeone the funds needed to land Griezmann, in order to convince him to leave the Atleti?
Pat J