In the not too distant past, Adrien Rabiot was the jewel of Paris Saint-Germain’s midfield.
Playing time wasn’t an issue, he was well-compensated, and competing in the UEFA Champions League every season. Rabiot had everything a young footballer could ever want but it wasn’t enough.
After refusing a contract extension from PSG during the 2018-19 season, Rabiot was banned from the first team and relegated to training with the reserves. Last summer, the Frenchman joined Juventus FC on a free transfer.
Of course, this all came after Rabiot refused to be a reserve player for the France national team during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. That was a sign of disrespect and he hasn’t been selected since.
Rabiot was likely hoping things would turn around in Turin but that hasn’t been the case. He’s struggled to find regular playing time and rumors of him wanting to find an exit started just a few months into the season. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side now, is it?
The Serie A season is currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic and there’s a very real possibility that it could be canceled. The lack of training and games will give Rabiot and his mother, who also acts as his agent, time to plot their next move.
According to Lee Connor over at The Boot Room, Rabiot would be a good fit at Arsenal FC who tried to sign him before his move to Juventus.
“Given Juventus have said they aren’t too keen on selling Rabiot, Arsenal could fancy their chances of bringing him in on loan,” Connor writes. “Rabiot is still a phenomenal player. He was wanted by most of Europe last season and one disappointing season doesn’t suddenly make him a bad player.”
From an Arsenal perspective, signing Rabiot on loan would be a brilliant move especially if they can pay a fraction of his wages. According to CalcioMercato.com, Rabiot earns €7 million per year.
For Rabiot, it will certainly be a wakeup call if he accepts a loan to the Gunners who currently find themselves in ninth place in the Premier League.
The former Manchester City youth product would be without Champions League football at Arsenal and his teammates would be a significant downgrade from what he’s used to.
At Juventus, Rabiot’s teammates included Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, and Matthijs de Ligt. At PSG, he had the opportunity to play in the same starting XI as Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr. Arsenal has a decent squad that Mikel Arteta is trying to upgrade but there are very few world-class players in their ranks.
Rabiot had it all at one time in Paris. He thought he could find better at Juventus, but that hasn’t worked out. Now, he could face the prospect of a humbling season-long loan at Arsenal where he will try to reinvent his reputation.
If Rabiot fails to impress at Arsenal, we could be witnessing one of the biggest wastes of talent in quite a while.
Want more PSG? Visit the PSG Talk Podcast Network page and subscribe to PSG Talking, The 1970, and 24th & Parc.
