Antoine Griezmann officially returned to Atletico Madrid today, and was presented as a signing by the club at the Wanda Metropolitano. The player has been given the number 8 jersey that previously belonged to Saul Niguez.
The midfielder was signed on loan by Chelsea, and Griezmann’s former 7 shirt is currently with Joao Felix. As a result, the returning forward now has a new number on the back of his shirt for the new season ahead.
Griezmann’s move was one of the most surprising deadline day transfers of all time. The player has been re-signed on a loan deal of two years with the option to buy, which will be triggered once Griezmann plays 50% of available games with the Rojiblancos. The few for making the deal permanent is around €40 million, in contrast to the €100 million+ fee Barcelona paid for him two years ago.
In terms of matters on the pitch, Diego Simeone was willing to work with Griezmann again. The Argentinian was able to bring out the best in the Frenchman in his first spell at the club, and it is very likely that it will happen again.
Joao Felix is usually deployed as a second striker alongside Luis Suarez, but Griezmann will probably be favoured to start alongside the Uruguayan now. Their chemistry will surely be worth noting after their time together at Barcelona.
Given that Real Madrid and Barcelona are not in the best shape right now, Atletico Madrid are in pole position to retain the La Liga title and probably head deep into the Champions League as well. And the presence of an established goalscorer like Griezmann only strengthens their case for being considered as top candidates.
