Why Barcelona should swap Neymar for Antoine Griezmann
According to reports in France (h/t The Express), Barcelona are interested in re-signing Neymar at the cost of Antoine Griezmann going the other way.
The Catalan giants haven’t been their usual dominant selves this season. Though they are currently on top of the league table, 2 points ahead of rivals Real Madrid, they have not been consistent in their performances.
Star forward Lionel Messi has been doing the hard work all alone and has run out of partners as Luis Suarez has been injured and out of action for quite a while. Antoine Griezmann was signed last summer and, though the Frenchman has scored 8 goals, he has not been able to firepower their attack in the needed situations.
The former Atletico Madrid man is yet to settle with the team and has found it difficult to be at his best this term. Apart from that, Barcelona have youngster Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele and Martin Braithwaite in their attacking unit. Fati has been brilliant in the limited opportunities he has received whereas, Dembele has spent the majority of his Barcelona career on the sidelines and Braithwaite has just joined the team in January.
Therefore, Barca boss Quique Setien should look to add more attacking firepower to the team and help them become a dominant force once again by bringing in PSG forward Neymar.
Despite facing a lot of troubles in the past two years, the Brazilian international has been brilliant for the French outfit this term since his return from injury. He has helped his side to the top of the Ligue 1 table with 13 goals and 6 assists in just 15 league games.
At the same time, Griezmann has contributed with just 8 goals and 4 assists in 26 games. The World Cup winner has not been the same kind of player he was at Atletico Madrid. Earlier in the campaign, his performances had hit rock-bottom and he has not lived up to the expectations.
Whereas, Neymar on the left-wing along with Suarez and Messi had struck up one of the most powerful partnerships in Europe a few years back. The trio had helped the Blaugrana lift several trophies and a reunion would be a huge boost to the team.
The former Santos man is in the form of his life for the Parisians and has single-handedly won games on several occasions this term. Given his history at Barcelona. Neymar would be the perfect fit in Setien’s squad for the next season and the Catalans can reach their best with him in their ranks.
Read more
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- Why Barcelona should plot a move for Tanguy Ndombele
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Verdict
Comparing Neymar and Griezmann’s importance to their respective clubs clearly shows that the Brazil star has been more influential to his team than Griezmann to Barcelona. Therefore, this swap deal would be a wise move and Barcelona should look to pull it off to improve their standards next season.
