"I understand he can occupy Messi's position" - Ronald Koeman believes Barcelona star can fill void left behind by Lionel Messi

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has backed Antoine Griezmann to fill the void left behind by Lionel Messi. The Dutch tactician is preparing for life without Lionel Messi at Camp Nou and spoke in glowing terms about Griezmann.

Barça manager Ronald Koeman: "We need to sign a new striker, if possible. And I want to say, I love Antoine Griezmann”. 🔵🔴 #FCB“Griezmann has to take a step forward now and I understand that he can occupy a position like Messi's and it's an advantage for him”. @barcacentre

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 14, 2021

Earlier, Barcelona were unable to re-sign Lionel Messi owing to their financial predicament and he ended up joining PSG on a free transfer. In the wake of the move that rocked the footballing world, Koeman has remained unfazed as Barcelona prepare for their 2021-22 La Liga campaign.

Speaking to the media ahead of Barcelona's opening game of the La Liga season against Real Sociedad on Sunday, Koeman stated:

"I love Griezmann. He is a player who always helps when we don't have the ball, he's very cheerful and spirited. He has to take a step forward now and I understand that he can occupy a position like Messi's and it's an advantage for him."

Barcelona keen to sign new striker after Lionel Messi exit

Koeman also revealed that Barcelona are probing the idea of bringing in a new striker in the ongoing transfer window. With the departure of Lionel Messi and the injury to Sergio Aguero, the Catalans have identified a requirement to bolster their options in front of goal.

Koeman: "Seeing all the positions of the team we lack people in front. Ansu, Dembélé, Agüero are missing... We lack there and that is why we have talked about the possibility of signing a forward to have more players and more competition. It all depends on whether we can sign."

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 14, 2021

Furthermore, Gerard Pique agreeing to a substantial pay-cut has allowed Barcelona to register all of Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Rey Manaj as new signings.

With the club keen to offload several other players, Koeman is keeping the door open for a new striker to link up with Barcelona before the transfer window slams shut. However, finding potential suitors for the likes of Martin Braithwaite and Philippe Coutinho remains a stern challenge for Barcelona.

As such, it remains to be seen if Koeman can get the desired resources in through the door at Camp Nou to make up for Lionel Messi's exit.

Koeman concluded by lifting the lid on the availability of several key first team players for the meeting with Real Sociedad on Sunday. While midfielder Frenkie de Jong is in contention to feature, it could take at least two weeks for the highly-rated Ansu Fati to return to full training.