ITALY’S VIEW: Adrien Rabiot has become a technical, tactical and financial problem for Juventus and is one of the most unpopular players… who knows why Erik ten Hag wants him at Man Utd
- Manchester United have agreed a £15m deal for Adrien Rabiot from Juventus
- The Serie A side will not be sad to see the midfielder leave after three poor years
- Rabiot has become a technical, tactical and financial problem for Juve’s managers
- His presence on the field is distinguished by his thick hair rather than his performance
By Alvise Cagnazzo for Mailonline
Posted: 08:53, August 9, 2022 | Updated: 09:04, August 9, 2022
It’s fair to say Juventus won’t be sad to see Adrien Rabiot leave if his move to Manchester United goes through.
The Red Devils have agreed a £15m deal for the midfielder and while personal terms still need to be agreed with the agent and his mother, the transfer is expected to be completed in the coming days.
Rabiot is just one of several failed signings made by Tottenham director of football Fabio Paratici when he was in charge of Juventus.
Manchester United have agreed a £15m deal for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot
The 27-year-old scored six goals in 127 games for the Old Lady and showed he is not good enough for the top level.
In other words, Erik ten Hag is set to bring one of Juventus’ most unpopular players to the Premier League and save the Serie A side around £6m a year in wages in the process.
Why Ten Hag would want to sign Rabiot is anyone’s guess. He can play on the wing, but is not comfortable there, struggles to get in behind the defense and his goal output is disappointing.
The Frenchman is perhaps better suited to play in a partnership of two central midfielders. He is a similar player to Emmanuel Petty, but offers less charisma and leadership qualities.
It is not clear why Erik ten Hag wants to sign a player who is struggling so badly in Serie A
It’s fair to say Juventus won’t be sad to see the Frenchman leave the club this summer
Rabiot’s mother, Véronique, has a reputation for being a tough negotiator on her son’s behalf
There was a sense of relief at PSG when Rabiot was released on a free three years ago because he didn’t fit into the team tactically and didn’t fit into the squad as a person.
His entourage also presented additional unwanted problems. This is partly due to the reputation that was given to his mother Veronique, who ran into figures in the game during her son’s career.
Véronique is representing Rabiot and is said to have clashed with the star’s team-mates and sporting directors, as well as demanding to meet managers and attend training sessions to ensure her son is treated and cared for the right way.
She previously asked to go on a pre-season tour when her son signed his first professional form at PSG, while she was partly responsible for his relegation to the reserves at the same club over wage demands.
She would claim about this incident that her son was being held “hostage” by the club and that meant he would soon be in “prison” fed only “bread and water”.
Juventus signed him to become a problem for rivals, but in recent months he has become a technical, tactical and financial problem for the Italian club, who are in the process of reviewing their budget.
Rabiot became a tactical and financial problem for Juve managers such as Max Allegri
Against Cagliari last season, Rabiot’s performance was the worst of his career as he touched the ball just 16 times in 69 minutes of play – far too few to justify a £6m-a-year salary.
The midfielder is a shy goldfish in an aquarium of carnivorous fish. A pony in a race with thoroughbreds. Stain on clear glass. His presence on the field is distinguished by his thick hair rather than his performance.
In Italy it is said that “even a broken clock tells the right time twice a day” and this tells the story of a player who has had a disastrous record over the past three years in Turin.
Rabiot has also proved a difficult player to manage for multiple Juventus coaches and is one of the clearest examples of how a player bought on a free cannot be a top level player.
He weighed on Juventus and as soon as Denis Zakaria arrived from Borussia Mönchengladbach in January, the Old Lady quickly realized that their future was much brighter without Rabiot.
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