Arsenal were reportedly set to seal the transfer of Antoine Griezmann in the summer of 2017 if they had qualified for the Champions League, according to David Ornstein.
The France international is one of the best attacking players in the world and has since moved from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona, but looked set to move to the Emirates Stadium two years ago if the Gunners hadn’t missed out on the top four, Ornstein revealed in a Q&A session with The Athletic.
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Liverpool notably denied Arsenal a fourth-place finish that season, with the pair fighting it out to the final day of the 2016/17 season to grab that final Champions League qualification spot.
The Reds beat Middlesbrough to book their place in the competition, finishing just a point ahead of Arsene Wenger’s side, who also won that day with a 3-1 victory over Everton.
One can only imagine what a talent like Griezmann could have done for Arsenal, especially as he’d have been joining at a time when they still had Alexis Sanchez on their books and a more in-form Mesut Ozil.
However, it wasn’t to be and AFC now have to ensure they don’t miss out on top players again by regaining a place in Europe’s top club competition as soon as possible.