KEY POINTS

  • Antoine Griezmann has been assured by Barca that he will not be dealt out
  • Griezmann is slowly getting back to form
  • Barca is keeping the faith in Griezmann

Antoine Griezmann has not exactly had a great season with Barcelona F.C., but it appears the 29-year-old striker is not going anywhere.

There has been a growing belief that Griezmann could be dealt off soon, with Barca looking to recover some of the money they had invested in the French football player. But factoring in the financial problems tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears Barcelona will stick with Griezmann for now.

Barcelona made a hefty investment in the French striker, spending $135 million to get him from Atletico Madrid. A reason behind that is that Griezmann has been known to be a 20-25 goal scorer, something that he has not been able to do this season.

Before football action came to a grinding halt, Griezmann accounted for only 14 goals and four assists in 37 games. But it appears he is slowly getting back to form.

Griezmann was fielded alongside Luiz Suarez and Lionel Messi against Villareal, and the ploy seemed to have worked. It could be part of the reason why Barca management opted to keep him in the mix, for now, L’Equippe reported. The Catalan giants assured Griezmann that he would not be sold, giving him more chances to prove he was worth that hefty investment.

Before that development, Griezmann’s name has been linked to several transfer rumors. One included a potential deal involving PSG superstar Neymar in what was allegedly a player-plus-cash scenario.

Aside from that, the French striker was also linked to a possible move to Inter Milan. He was singled out as the bargaining chip in a deal that would involve Lautaro Martinez.

Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez both made it on to the scoresheet in Barcelona's 3-0 over Eibar - Lionel Messi also scored
Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez both made it on to the scoresheet in Barcelona's 3-0 over Eibar - Lionel Messi also scored AFP / ANDER GILLENEA

A reason for Griezmann’s struggles is reportedly that he was not getting any help from his teammates. The French player has not been getting the touches, something that made him look useless during games.

But his last game against Villareal was entirely different. Griezmann and his teammates were praised by Barcelona manager Quique Setien for that performance.

“I would like to play like this in every game but it's not an exact science. Every game is different but today we did everything right,” Setien said.

RELATED STORIES
Soccer Soccer Lionel Messi