PIQUE READY FOR BARCELONA POST GRIEZMANN SAGA
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique seems ready for the showdown talks with his employers for his involvement in the Antoine Griezmann sage. With Spain set to qualify from the group stage after an enthralling draw against Portugal and then a win against a stubborn Iranian side, Pique says he is ready for whatever Barcelona brings.
Griezmann opted to stay at Atletico Madrid having being convinced of the club’s effort at retaining him by attracting some of the best legs in the game. Atletico signed Thomas Lemar, also in the French team, from Monaco and also renewed the deal for Lucas Hernandez, also in the French team. There are still talented players like Koke, in the Spanish setup, Diego Costa, who has scored three goals in Russia already, Saul Niguez, Diego Godin, Jan Oblak et al.
Griezmann feels the core of the team can compete at the highest levels for titles so he opted to stay despite agreeing informally to a deal with the Catalan giant. Barcelona are eager to rework the squad following the exit of Andres Iniesta and the creeping stagnation into the team as the core players age.
Luis Suarez has been limited in his goalscoring in Europe even though he still manages to deliver in the league. The midfield is starving despite the addition of Philippe Coutinho in the winter window. Big money deal Ousmane Dembele has not yet blended with the team as much so this summer is key to Barcelona going forward. Griezmann was supposed to bring a lot to the table but then it seemed Pique played a part in the player not coming despite the poor state of things so Barcelona are furious.