Arsenal: Adrien Rabiot could be a steal

Arsenal are reportedly considering a cut-price move for Juventus midfielder, Adrien Rabiot. As a reclamation project, the Frenchman could be a steal.

This summer, Arsenal will be working on a limited budget. In fact, it is entirely possible that even £10 or £20 million deals that in years past would have been considered small, supplementary additions are difficult to complete due to the financial situation the club is in.

As a result, Head of Football Raul Sanllehi, Technical Director Edu Gaspar, all in tandem with Head Coach Mikel Arteta will have to act smartly, creatively, prudently in the upcoming transfer window, in whatever form and timeframe that may take.

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This week, former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder and Arsenal target, Adrien Rabiot, was linked with a move to north London. Le10Sport via The Metro report that Arsenal are interested in a cut-price deal for the Juventus midfielder, who has endured limited playing time under Maurizio Sarri this year.

Rabiot arrived at Juventus last summer following the expiration of his deal in Paris. He has featured infrequently, making just 24 appearances in all competitions. He has started just 11 times in Serie A.

It has been a frustrating season for the Frenchman, but at only 25, he still has plenty of time to reclaim his prime years. Rabiot broke into the PSG team very young and has seemingly been ever-present for a long time. He already has over 300 senior appearances and made 29 Ligue 1 appearances in the 2013/14 season. That was his age-18 campaign.

The report claims that Arteta views Rabiot as the ideal partner for Matteo Guendouzi, who he sees as the future of the position. Guendouzi has endured a turbulent time under Arteta, including a dispute in a mid-season Dubai training camp that saw him axed from the matchday squad upon the team’s return. Nevertheless, his talent is outrageous. He has a higher ceiling than any other player in the squad, especially of the midfielders. Investing in his future would be wise.

Rabiot provides Arteta with the ideal midfield foil. Like Guendouzi, he is an excellent distributor. He splits lines with his passes and progresses play. He also receives the ball superbly, understanding how to use his frame to shield it when pressed. He is more positionally disciplined than Guendouzi and could be the ideal deep-lying playmaker to anchor the midfield.

Crucially, Rabiot is left-footed. Arteta, like his great mentor, Pep Guardiola, is obsessed with the balance of the team and sees using left and right-footed players as vital in this pursuit. Granit Xhaka, also left-footed, has been ever-present in the midfield alongside a right-footed partner, either Dani Ceballos or Lucas Torreira. Guendouzi has played towards the left of the central midfield, but Rabiot could take over that role from Xhaka. He certainly does not possess the same limitations as the Swiss in regards to his receiving of the ball and ability to carry it forwards.

All of this could reportedly be available for as little as £13.5 million. Rabiot is not the perfect signing, of course, but in the current climate, he would be a creative and affordable way to rebuild the midfield. In fact, he might just be a steal.