Arsenal and Adrian Rabiot: Time to turn contract tables

Adrien Rabiot is in the final year of his contract and is ostensibly set to leave Paris Saint-Germain this season. It’s time for Arsenal to flip their contract crises on their heads and take advantage of another club’s mismanagement.

Throughout the past decade, Arsenal have consistently struggled with their management of players’ contracts. Arsene Wenger often believed that his players were more motivated when they had a contract to play for and did not mind sacrificing long-term security for that added benefit. As a result, plenty of players have either left for free or very cheap.

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There are the infamous examples: Robin van Persie, Alexis Sanchez, Samir Nasri, and now, most likely, Aaron Ramsey. But even players like Jack Wilshere, Gael Clichy, Serge Gnabry, Kieran Gibbs, Wojciech Szczesny all departed for nothing or less than their market value because of their contracts were soon to be expiring.

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Time and time again, other clubs, and often direct Premier League rivals, have exploited Arsenal and their contract mismanagement to prise talented players away from north London. Perhaps it’s time, then, for the Gunners to turn the tables and take advantage of someone else’s poor contract management. Thankfully, Paris Saint-Germain and Adrien Rabiot provide the perfect opportunity.

Rabiot has repeatedly rejected contract offers from the French champions and is now expected to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season. He will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with non-French clubs from January. There is reported competition for his services from a variety of clubs around the world, but there is no reason why Arsenal should not make a run at the vastly talented and wonderfully rounded midfielder.

Rabiot is 23 years old. He will be 24 next summer. He is a rangy, controlled, aware midfielder with a lovely range of passing, astute game management from the heart of the midfield, and an ability to play through the high press, a skill that is of increasing importance in the modern game and is severely lacking in the midfield at the Emirates.

He has experience of the Champions League, he is a proven winner, and, unique to Arsenal, he has played two full seasons under the management of Unai Emery, something that could well be used as leverage in the Gunners’ favour when it comes to convincing him to join over attractive alternatives. And he’ll be free.

Rabiot seems like the perfect type of player to offer a successor to Ramsey and a possible replacement for Granit Xhaka and tutor for Matteo Guendouzi. He is very much like all of those players rolled into one: he has the range and athleticism of Ramsey, the passing range and artistry of Guendouzi, and the conducting ability of Xhaka. That is the type of player that I’d like to see at the club.

Like with every prospective, high-profile transfer, I do not expect this to happen. It would be very surprising if it did. But it is something that I believe Arsenal should take a long, hard look at. It might just be time to flip the contract crisis on its head and begin to take advantage of it, not fall foul thanks to it.