Griezmann given vote of confidence by Barcelona
Antoine Griezmann has been told by Barcelona that he is firmly part of their plans for the 2020/21 season after crunch talks with members of the board.
The former Atletico Madrid forward has struggled in his first year at Barca since moving from Los Colchoneros, scoring just nine goals in 29 starts to earn a 84 FC Rating.
His numbers are by no means terrible, but at times he has failed to link up effectively with Luis Suarez and club captain and talisman Lionel Messi, sparking rumours that he perhaps doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the Argentine in particular.
However, his latest performance against Villarreal, which saw him earn his best FC Rating since the start of December, saw him score the goal of the game with a delightful chip over the keeper after the assist from Messi, with the pair embracing in celebration afterwards.
Prior to the match on Sunday, he was given just nine combined minutes of football against Celta and former club Atletico, fuelling speculation that he had fell out of favour with head coach Quique Setien.
Without as much as a season under his belt, the likes of PSG, Manchester City, and Manchester United had been mooted as potential destinations should he leave Barcelona.
But, according to L’Equipe, Griezmann met with Barca dignitaries earlier in the week, with the meeting going well for the player as he was assured of his key role in the team going forward.
The Catalan side are currently second in La Liga, four points adrift of leaders Real Madrid with four games remaining.