Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot has been linked with a move to Arsenal for the January transfer window since the Frenchman has supposedly fallen out of favour with the Old Lady. But has he, and will Rabiot leave Italy in order to join Arteta in North London?
Adrien Rabiot moved to Juventus in the summer after a frustrating period at PSG, where he failed to impress with what he has shown. Since his arrival at Juventus, however, things did not change for the Frenchman, who has struggled to hold down a regular first-team spot, appearing in only 13 fixtures so far this season. Due to his lack of playtime, many people started to speculate that he has fallen out of favour with Juventus, which ushered rumours which started linking the 24-year-old midfielder with other clubs, such as Manchester United and Arsenal.
Out of the two clubs, Arsenal seemed like the best option for Rabiot, considering their new manager Arteta is working on strengthening his squad in this transfer window. In the summer the Gunners were extremely busy as they signed six players, including Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba and Nicolas Pepe. While there are no guarantees the north London outfit will be as active this January, there were reports Arteta is looking for a central midfielder, meaning Rabiot would be a perfect fit for them.
That said, there is one thing that just might indicate Rabiot will not be available for the Juventus-Arsenal transfer.
Rabiot joined Juventus for free after his contract with PSG expired, which delivered a huge blow to Arsenal and Man Utd, who were hoping to secure the young midfielder. The reason why Rabiot joined Juventus was that he believed it was the best option for him, however, things did not go as planned.
The fierce competition for a spot in the starting lineup has left Rabiot dry as he started in only five games for the Serie A champions throughout the season, which obviously prompted talks of his departure in January. One of the main candidates to grab Rabiot are Arsenal, who are reportedly looking for a new midfielder since Xhaka has been heavily linked with Hertha Berlin, so signing a new midfielder will be Arteta’s number one priority. That said, Juventus are reportedly very hesitant to let Rabiot go as they are more willing to discuss a possible transfer of Emre Can.
In a bid to secure Rabiot, Arteta reportedly made a personal phone call to talk to the Frenchman and present him with his vision of his project in North London. Whether he has succeeded in that is at this point anyone’s guess, but according to his most recent interview, it seems like Rabiot is not too keen on leaving Juventus just yet, after declaring he is “at his team’s [Juventus] disposal”.
“It’s true that 2019 was a very good year for me,” said Rabiot.
“I worked a lot, I joined Juventus and I think 2020 could be a positive year.”
“I feel good physically, I follow the work that the coach tells us to do and I feel good here. I’m at the team’s disposal, I don’t have a problem with what side of the pitch I play at.”
Adding to that, Juventus transfer chief Fabio Paratici said:
“Rabiot arrived here after not playing for eight months. It’s only natural on a physical level he should take time to adapt. He paid the price for that, but he has done well when used.”
“We are confident, he is an important player and a guarantee for Juve, not a question mark or a doubt. We have an important squad, with a lot of competition for places, and that’s how it should be at this level.”
Despite all the rumours which linked Rabiot with a move to Arsenal, it seems like the reality is completely different. While he failed to see much success while playing at Juventus, it’s clear that the Serie A champions have a lot of expectations for him and will not be easily persuaded to let him go. Maybe things will change comes the summer transfer window, but as it stands now, Rabiot seems to be going nowhere.
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