£23.8m French international reveals why he turned down Arsenal

Arsenal spent long days in negotiations with Real Sociedad at the start of the summer transfer window, ostensibly over the compensation fee for Carlos Vela, but it has now been revealed that the Gunners also wanted to bring in the brilliant winger Antoine Griezmann from the Basque club.

Vela’s strike partner eventually ended up in Spanish capital with Atletico, and Griezmann himself explained why he turned down a move to London with Arsenal. ‘Why Spain and not elsewhere? This is my championship, my home’, the French international said. ‘I’m happy here and Atletico is a great club. The champions were willing to pay €30 million [£23.8m] for me.

‘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. He always demands intensity in training. That’s my style and I like it’.

Griezmann has already shown his worth to the Champions League Finalists with six assists in seven starts this season, and I’m sure he would have been just as successful for Arsenal. At least this shows that Arsene Wenger was actually trying to bring more stars to the club. Oh if only we had have signed all the ones-that-got-away!

Tags Griezmann Sociedad Vela

40 Comments

    1. Why simeone lol?

      An yes it does matter he is a left winger our left side is a problem.

      In my mind he picked a team with a superior manager and a team which actually contends, i dont blame him

  1. Who is Dragan Stolkovic??
    Rumour is he is Wenger’s preferred next Arsenal coach O_o o_O
    Any one know anything about him?? his wins, skills, tactics or even if he has a HOT daughter less than 12 years of age?? anything??
    Will appreciate any info. Thanks in advance pals

    1. WHAT!! This Stojkovic guy is not even coaching any team at the moment 😯 😯 😯 ❗ ❗
      If he is too bad to not even have a job in Japan league, how will he manage the Mighty Arsenal 🙁 🙁 🙁

    2. You are seriously sick mentioning 12 year old girls u need sectioning admin please look into this and ban this complete idiot from this site its not the first time he has made sexual comments on here seriously please get shot of him.

      ADMIN COMMENT – I am also sick of all these idiots that talk rubbish instead of talking about the football topic in question. All trolls are now warned – one comment off-topic and you will be banned…

    3. I am sorry to this- “you are a complete idiot”. What has his 12yr old child got to do with his managerial skill. The more you talk, the more the senselessness showcased

      1. Any girl older than 12 would be way older than me.. what is wrong with wishing for a hot gal??

        1. but I am not here to fight, I retract that, though its been my fantasy to have a father in law who is Arsenal Coach 🙁 🙁 Maybe I was over fantasizing. Its okay pals, I retract..but am still hopeful

  2. Apart from Arshavin and recently
    Ozil and Sanchez Arsene has
    looked for “value” (cheap).
    Overall the club relies on the under 16 mill
    battlers like Arteta Flamini Mertesacker Gibbs
    Monreal Ramsey Sagna Koscielny Giroud Wellbeck.
    The so called super stars Ozil ,Walcott
    Wilshere Chamberlain Bendtner + Podolski
    run hot and cold.

    1. Cazorla, when we bought him, was higher than the price we paid for him. As some Journalist put it, best kept secret of the Spanish league.

      Off topic- The notion that Mesut hindered his form is literally bullsh*t. He has gone off the boil pretty late.
      Santi of the 1st season is missing. He is/was a brilliant player but he is struggling.

  3. Losing vermalaen to barca an not getting manolas who ended up at roma for me sealed our season.
    A dm seemed obvious too

    Cant rely on wenger to change his tactics only on having a solid squad which we dont have.

    Im tired of top 4

    1. i’d like Diego Simeone as our next coach… but he’s building something special there so he won’t leave lol… we stuck with the prof, master of late subs for another 2 years at least… well thats if he doesn’t renew it lol

      1. Nothing against Simeone but he is just another Jose Mourinho who can’t speak English. Since the Atletico hype, i have sometimes watched his team play. They look like another Chelsea team playing.

        1. I would not mind turning into a Chelsea aswell. Perfect balanced team, A manager who is driven to win no matter what, Main share holder who wants success and not money, World stars wherever the eyes can see.

          You are just jelous.

  4. Simeone was the difference, why?
    Because he is just a better manager. He relates with the players as he was a excellent one himself.
    I mean, when you look at AT.Madrid playing and players, you know those guys are playing for him first and still want to impress him more and more.

    Our boys won the FA Cup for the fans, because enough was enough… Wenger had totally nothing to do with it. Cazorla, Ramsey and the others were just pumped up after we were down…

    On a other note:
    The Emirates stadium is officially the most expensive place in the world (not only Europe) to sit your ass down and watch a game of football…

    WAAOOOOO!!

    Prices will increase again… This is not a club, that’s something else !!

    1. “Our boys won the FA Cup for the fans, because enough was enough… Wenger had totally nothing to do with it. Cazorla, Ramsey and the others were just pumped up after we were down…”

      Whole new level of bullsh*t. So that Sanogo substitution had nothing to do with it?

      1. Induviual performance rescued the day Pakistani boy. Give credit to the players and stop this bs biased a$rs licking of yours.

        Whenever Arsenal loses, all i hear from you guys is : FaKK the players they are at fault for not performing well.

        Whenever Arsenal wins: Arsene is a genius, in Arsene i trust.

        That cup finale was almost lost.

        1. I would rather get relegated than play like Chelsea to win.
          And the perfectly balanced team that you talk of cost them 400+ millions.
          And why should I be jealous of Simeone’s first title as a manager? Let him get 3-4 competing with Barca and Real and than we can talk about me being jealous.

          1. You are just a jelous old man who watches the game for diff reasons to the normal fans who love the game.

            A loser by heart cant understand the passion behind the sport. You have no respect for the men bec he makes you as a personal Arsen Wenger fan boy look like a total loser.

            Till now he has won more then beating the 2 of the best teams in the world. Hit google up and witness and applaud a champion who deserves prais and attention.

            1. You are just a jelous old man who watches the game for diff reasons to the normal fans who love the game.

              What reason do i watch the game for? And what do you mean love the game? You talk of playing like Chelsea and now you talk of love for the game? Thats hypocrisy i tell you old woman.

              A loser by heart cant understand the passion behind the sport. You have no respect for the men bec he makes you as a personal Arsen Wenger fan boy look like a total loser.

              Simeone makes Wenger look like a total loser? Ha ha. Why how many champions league and doubles has he got that he makes Wenger look like a loser?

              Till now he has won more then beating the 2 of the best teams in the world. Hit google up and witness and applaud a champion who deserves prais and attention.

              Didn’t i just say i would rather get relegated rather than playing like “Shut-Down” shop way. Rafeal Benitez won a La Liga with Valencia for fcuk sakes. Won a UCL with the weakest Liverpool squad. Why not stand up and applaud him as well.

              1. Some do it for the sake of habit or bec they have no other things to do. Like old people who tend to play bingo. ( try it out, it may suit your nature).

                He is a loser bec Simoene tops him nowdays as a manager. Whats in the past remains in the past. Simoene is the here and now. Wenger is history and a todays loser.

                These are tactics. This is 2014. Football has changed, and Wenger has not. That for others compete for glory and Arsenal competes for survival.\

                Arsenal nodways has no style whatsoever.

                I did. When he got Liverpool the Cl trophy i applouded.

        2. And isn’t it the other way around when we lose/win?

          You blame Wenger for the loss, and when we win you credit the players.

          1. How am i supposed to prais a manager who keeps lining up the same formation over and over again?
            How am i supposed to prais somene who forces player to play out of poz?
            How am i supposed to prais a manager who freezes players out and is prone of favorisem?
            How am i supposed to prais Wenger for tactical awarnes when he has non of it?
            How am i suppoed to prais the manager when he ignores the clubs needs for a Striker, Dm, Cb and a LW?
            How am i supposed to prais someone who cant beat Moyes and who gets trashed to 8 goals 6 goals and so one?
            How am i supposed to respect a man who is deluded?
            How am i supposed to respect a man who lie?
            How am i supposed to respect someone who is greedy but yet earn 8m a year for doing nothing more then being a 4th place managaer?

            IF you can figure this out, then feel free to tllk to me again. If not, sit your srry A%ss down and keep on eating your Pakistanian potato chipps

            1. Playing players out of position is not by choice. It’s due to team needs. And freezes out players?

              Who would you rather have starring on the wings 29-Old-Podolski or 21-Old-Our-Future player Ox? Podolski or Sanchez? Podolski or Mesut?

              And that crap about tactical awarenesses, not beating Moyes, losing 8 goals and 6 goals, those sh*t happens to all managers. Or don’t you remember Mourinho getting his a*se handed by Klopp and Pep?

              And fcker what is this sh*t not buying players? We bought in 6 new 1st team players and we are still getting used to it. Pool bought in 9 and you can see what happened there. Spuds bought 7 new 1st teamers and we saw how it went, didn’t we?

              “Deluded, Liar, Greedy”
              These are the labels given when someone has a personal grudge against another. Can’t help you shape your grudges, right?

              The potato chips are very tasty. Thank you for cooking them woman.

              1. it is by choice

                it is Wenger choice to put Ozil on the wings.

                No these result are not accidents bec they happen way to often

                We buy but do sell a lot. 1 step forward 3 steps back.

                No grude but facts. If you cant handle facts and the truth stay inside of your home and dont go out.

  5. You just need to take Guardiola as an example to understand what a champions is all about. He left at a time where he thought the time was right for him to leave. Him staying at Barca would mean that the club would start to go on a decline. You leave when the times are good, with your head up.

    Henry left with his head up, knowing he did much for his club and we fans love him for that. Fabregas left with his head down like a wiesel and we fans know that and that for he can ritally fack off.

    Wenger should have left the club in 2008. This is not about hating and such its about the club. Wenger is a smart man and a football knowing all. I am sure that he knows that he is finished but he is to stubborn to admit it. He has created a ego in this club, he is bigger then the club as many fans who i argue a lot with in this forum prove it.

    If you give someone to much power he gets easily corrupted. Say what you want but no one can possibly think that Arsenal are going to Win the Epl ever again under him Cl also. 18 years of football and never able to win it once.

    Does Arsenal deserves better? Are Arsenal a big club? Are we supposed to compete with the big boys or are we slowly turning into a second Spurs.

    Whenever we face big teams. Arsenal is never a favorit. We are supposed to lose and we do lose.

    Whenever we face Everton or Spurs. A battle is about to happen, bec these teams are the ones we can beat. Sometimes we lose sometimes we win. But the fact that they are equals to us, is a big lose to the name we carry as a supposed big club. Its shamefull.

    Once this club made me proud, nowdays it brings only shame. This needs to change.

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