ANTOINE GRIEZMANN

Who is he? Where does he play?

After heading to Spain yesterday for one young Frenchman, we are off there again for another one, more specifically 21 year old Antoine Griezmann who plays on the wing for Real Sociedad and has a rather luscious head of combed-over blond hair.

It's good that we've established his hair colour.. so.. plays on the wing?

He does yes, or that's where he's spent the majority of this season playing for Sociedad, on the left side of the attacking midfield 3 in a 4-2-3-1 formation. He's appeared 12 times in that position this season, but he can also be deployed to the right, centrally, or even as a centre-forward. 

Sounds versatile? So what does he offer?

A great deal of technical skill, pace, a good ability at crossing and a penchant for cutting inside to get shots away. It's his ability in the attacking areas around the box that has seen him register 5 goals and 2 assists this season, together with a passing accuracy of 81.6% that is in keeping with Phillipe Montanier's fluid attacking 4 with one-touch lay-offs and neat interchanges.

His ability isn't restricted to just attacking ability either, Griezmann is well disciplined in a defensive sense, offering an impressive shield to Alberto Di La Bella at left-back. 

I like the sound of him... any chance of him leaving Sociedad?

The Basque club have done superbly this year and sit 6th in La Liga very much on the up. However, there is word that scouts have picked up on Griezmann's impressive performances over the course of the season, having made 22 in total, and Spurs are apparently targeting the 21 year old, who was a graduate of small-town club EC Macon over in France, as a possible replacement for flavour of the month Gareth Bale.

Would they sell?

Having only been back in La Liga for 2 years (he won the Segunda division with them in 2010) , Sociedad are still a modest club and could be tempted with a sizeable offer of, say £7-10 million. Yet, it may not be as simple as that, as faced with questions about reported interest from Barcelona, a greater indication that most of his burgeoning talent, he said “I want to stay and progress where I am. I don’t want to leave here to sit on the bench. I need to play regularly and that would be impossible at Barca.” 

After being rejected from numerous Ligue 1 academies for being "too small", there is a feeling that the attacking midfielder does genuinely feel he owes the club a great deal of loyalty, having likened the club to "his family". It is a testament to his worth that he has already played 120 times for Sociedad despite only being 21.

Level headed lad then?

Yeah, as long as Sociedad keep hold of the nimble attacker who stands at a diminutive 5ft 9 inches, they will have no limit to their ambitions. Plus, he now appears regularly for France's under-20 side, having won the under-19 European Championship on home soil back in 2010. 

He is athletic, well-balance and incredibly talented, but you just can't overlook that blond hair.