French winger Antoine Griezmann, who made a name for himself replacing Franck Ribery in the run-up to the 2014 World Cup, reveals he spurned an attempt for his signature by Arsene Wenger this summer.
He says the lure of the La Liga champions was too much for the 23-year-old to resist.
Oh, and lots of money. But it was mostly the champions. Definitely mostly the champions.
“Why Spain and not elsewhere? This is my championship, my home. I’m happy here and Atletico Madrid is a great club. They were willing to pay €30 million [$38 million] for me,” Griezmann said.
Probably shouldn’t have thrown his transfer information out there, but sure, why not.
It’s no surprise Wenger made a go at a highly-touted French attacking midfielder - that’s his bread and butter.
“I had the boss on the phone. He motivated me and said the club really wanted me. I knew that I was coming here to learn. Was it weird when PSG and Arsenal were also interested? [Atletico are] still the champions of Spain! I needed a club like that and a coach like Diego Simeone to progress. I always demands intensity in training. That’s my style and I like it.”
Diego Simeone is intense, that much is for certain.
