It’s fair to say that Antoine Griezmann has had a fairly miserable season at Barcelona, but things are finally starting to look up.
Firstly his stunning chip against Villarreal instantly reminded everyone that he’s a class act, while a report from L’Equipe has suggested that the club won’t be looking to sell him this summer.
That does come as a surprise when you take everything into account, as the team urgently needs fresh faces and he was one of the more sell-able assets.
READ MORE: Video: Lazio’s Serie A hopes implode as former Barcelona ace Patric sent off for BITING his opponent
The report suggests that members of Barca’s management have told the Frenchman they have a lot of faith in him, and that’s reflected in this decision.
It’s not just the fact that they could sell him for a decent fee and use his wages elsewhere this summer, but they are also taking a big risk if they planned to sell him next year if he has another poor season.
At that point he would be 30 years old and coming off the back of two poor seasons, so any potential buyer will use that to drive the price down.
This summer is the ideal time to sell him or use him as a bargaining chip in a trade, so by confirming that he won’t be going anywhere, they really are showing how much they trust him.
Of course this is Barcelona and things can change, but perhaps Griezmann can make a success of his time at the Nou Camp after all.