Adrien Rabiot / completing formalities at Juventus

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MadMike said:
But why do we have to sign him for the #6 (DM, Matic's) role? I don't undesrtand that. I mean he is a very capable box-to-box CM, even if his best position is DM. We do have Matic and Herrera that can play in DM** and also McTominay seems to be getting groomed for that role too. It should be a position of least concern for now.

I know Fred has had a good game against PSG and everyone says he "arrived", but let's be honest, unless he does it consistently there will be doubts. And if these doubts persist till summer, the temptation to pick up Rabiot for free and set up a midfield of Herrera/Matic, Rabiot/Fred, Pogba/Lingard is quite big. That's a lot of strength in depth.

** Herrera got voted POTY by us, when playing in the deeper role before Matic was bought.
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I was asking why mention him as a #6 when he doesn't want to play there, I was just focusing on that part specifically because to me it's not worth considering playing him there as he is vocal about not wanting to do it. My main reason to not want him is he's a petulant brat with a questionable attitude and I don't want to bring that into the squad. As for Fred, I'm not sold on him at all yet, he needs to do it in the PL for a few games before he "arrives" or whatever, but by the same token I'm not on the McTominay DM train either, he's too basic on the ball IMO. As for Ander, I've had this debate so many times at this point, Ole has not used him once as a holder, until he does I'm going to believe he thinks the same as me, that the role is a waste of his best talents and thus he wont use him there unless he's the last body standing, I think he wants someone that can distribute it better from deep, and while Matic isn't that great at it he's comfortably better than Ander and McTominay which is why Ole continued on like Mourinho of playing him into the ground. I honestly doubt many would be clamouring for Rabiot if he wasn't free.

Adnan said:
Eric ended up at Sheffield Wednesday after causing problems at most of the clubs he played at in France. Rabiot is still very young, and in comparison is a angel compared to what I've read about Eric.

He may not want to play as the #6 but he will play the position if required. And if we can get him to play to his potential, then we've got a brilliant young player on a free, which will free up funds for other positions.

From my understanding, Rabiot has always been professional when it comes to what is required from him on the pitch. And the rapport with his team mates has never been called into question.
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I never said Eric didn't have issues, but he was worth the risk because he was a special talent with a charisma that if you could tap into it could give you something special. Rabiot is a good CM, nothing more or less, not worth the risk when we have a young squad with great harmony.

The fact he doesn't want to play the position is the problem, as exampled by Pogba, you never get the best out of people who have that mindset when you force them, not everyone is like Herrera or Young and will sacrifice for the team and give their best no matter what.

Rabiot is a guy that refused to be part of the back-up options for the World Cup because his ego came before his country, that's pretty unprofessional IMO and shows the personality of someone who thinks he's better than he is, he's a good player but not a special one, his mindset should be of someone like Ander, not of someone like Neymar who can get away with their childish crap because of their outrageous talent.
 
JPRouve said:
That's a slightly different point, when it comes to attitude Cantona was far worse than Rabiot. The issue with Rabiot is that he moans all the time and his mom is a nuisance but on the field he is pretty good and does what he is asked to do. The only relevant red flag is the letter that he sent concerning France national team but even then it was totally different to Cantona insulting the national manager on TV.

Now, if you don't rate him then it makes sense to not sign him.
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Eric was an asshole, I'm not denying that, but my point was he had special qualities that made the gamble worth it, I don't think Rabiot is anywhere near special enough to bring someone with his inflated ego and need of pampering into this young dressing room. I've never said he was a bad player, just not that good that I'd risk unsettling things and bringing a headache into the club, especially on the wages him and his mommy want.
 
Devil may care said:
Eric was an asshole, I'm not denying that, but my point was he had special qualities that made the gamble worth it, I don't think Rabiot is anywhere near special enough to bring someone with his inflated ego and need of pampering into this young dressing room. I've never said he was a bad player, just not that good that I'd risk unsettling things and bringing a headache into the club, especially on the wages him and his mommy want.
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His footballing ability is great and his potential but I wouldn't want him at United just because of what's happened for years now at PSG. It's a risk I'm not comfortable with.
However, I really think a foreign club will unlock his potential and without the french/comfy environement he's been used to, he will turn out into a great player.
 
kouroux said:
His footballing ability is great and his potential but I wouldn't want him at United just because of what's happened for years now at PSG. It's a risk I'm not comfortable with.
However, I really think a foreign club will unlock his potential and without the french/comfy environement he's been used to, he will turn out into a great player.
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We are pretty much on the same page other than you rate him higher than I do, I don't think he's that good at any specific part of being a CM to be a truly top one like a Modric, Kroos, Pogba or Verratti as just a few examples.
 
Devil may care said:
We are pretty much on the same page other than you rate him higher than I do, I don't think he's that good at any specific part of being a CM to be a truly top one like a Modric, Kroos, Pogba or Verratti as just a few examples.
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He can be like Matic at his peak with even better ball retention against pressure. That is if his development is optimal, so a level below the players you mentioned but still a very good player nonetheless.
 
JPRouve said:
That part isn't correct because you are using hindsight of what happened at United, Cantona was petulant and a bit of cnut for the most part of his career which is why he was thrown out of so many clubs despite being the best player. SAF did wonder with him.
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Yes, it is. Eric was already at Leeds that kind and quality of player it would make sense making an exception for. At least Ferguson seemed to think so.

Pogba is that kind of player, but is Rabiot?
 
Grande said:
Yes, it is. Eric was already at Leeds that kind and quality of player it would make sense making an exception for. At least Ferguson seemed to think so.

Pogba is that kind of player, but is Rabiot?
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I'm talking about the attitude, it read like he tried to reduce how petulant and actually unprofessional Cantona was before joining United. The man was an absolute weapon, he was very talented but if it wasn't for Ferguson and the United part of his career, Cantona would have been remembered totally differently.
As for Rabiot, he is very talented and hasn't been remotely as disruptive as Cantona, the only issue with Rabiot is that he is irritating for fans and suits. The dressing room worries are overstated since he has never been involved in issues with teammates. Same thing with Pogba, neither player should ever be compared to Cantona.
 
Devil may care said:
I was asking why mention him as a #6 when he doesn't want to play there, I was just focusing on that part specifically because to me it's not worth considering playing him there as he is vocal about not wanting to do it. My main reason to not want him is he's a petulant brat with a questionable attitude and I don't want to bring that into the squad. As for Fred, I'm not sold on him at all yet, he needs to do it in the PL for a few games before he "arrives" or whatever, but by the same token I'm not on the McTominay DM train either, he's too basic on the ball IMO. As for Ander, I've had this debate so many times at this point, Ole has not used him once as a holder, until he does I'm going to believe he thinks the same as me, that the role is a waste of his best talents and thus he wont use him there unless he's the last body standing, I think he wants someone that can distribute it better from deep, and while Matic isn't that great at it he's comfortably better than Ander and McTominay which is why Ole continued on like Mourinho of playing him into the ground. I honestly doubt many would be clamouring for Rabiot if he wasn't free.
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I think that's your own interpretation on why Solsjkaer doesn't play Ander in DM and there's nothing wrong with it, but opinions can differ. You think it's because it's a waste of his talents to play deeper. I think it's because he doesn't trust anyone else to play that 50-50 role. Matic is too immobile to play there, McTominay is simply not as good as Herrera (or Matic) yet and Fred had been cack so far. He is simply picking the best players he has in the way he can make the midfield function better as a unit. In any case both our opinions on this are personal and not quite a conclusive argument. I think however there's been a lot of evidence (as per Mourinho's first season) that Herrera can be as good in DM as in CM.

As for the last sentence, being free obviously has some bearing. Why shouldn't it? But he's also a 23yo CM that is very good and better than what we have. I remember watching him 2 years ago as a 21yo against Barca in the CL and thinking this guy looks like a real baller. And he's been good since, when he's played.
 
He'd be decent business, yes he's a diva but he's a classy player and I don't mind a player with a bit of arrogance and swagger.
 
Fergie was great at handling different players with different egos. I believe Ole is similar and if he is able to motivate Rabiot just like he was able to motivate most of our current set of players, he may just get the best out of him.

The club can always sell him if he turns out to be a turd of a player.
 
kouroux said:
He can be like Matic at his peak with even better ball retention against pressure. That is if his development is optimal, so a level below the players you mentioned but still a very good player nonetheless.
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Fair enough, I respect your opinion mate, my one question mark over him becoming as good as Matic which is 2 or 3 tiers below the level of player I listed IMO, is that Matic's attitude towards the role is good, where as Rabiot is very vocal about not even wanting to play it at all, let alone put the work into it to become very good at it.

MadMike said:
I think that's your own interpretation on why Solsjkaer doesn't play Ander in DM and there's nothing wrong with it, but opinions can differ. You think it's because it's a waste of his talents to play deeper. I think it's because he doesn't trust anyone else to play that 50-50 role. Matic is too immobile to play there, McTominay is simply not as good as Herrera (or Matic) yet and Fred had been cack so far. He is simply picking the best players he has in the way he can make the midfield function better as a unit. In any case both our opinions on this are personal and not quite a conclusive argument. I think however there's been a lot of evidence (as per Mourinho's first season) that Herrera can be as good in DM as in CM.

As for the last sentence, being free obviously has some bearing. Why shouldn't it? But he's also a 23yo CM that is very good and better than what we have. I remember watching him 2 years ago as a 21yo against Barca in the CL and thinking this guy looks like a real baller. And he's been good since, when he's played.
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Much like I just said to Kouroux I respect your opinion as to why Ole has done what he has done with Matic and Ander, although I do disagree on Ander being as good a DM as he is a #8, but we shall see come the summer if Ole makes any buy that will confirm one of us to have read it right.

I can see free having a baring if we were a pauper club, but we are one of the 3 richest in the world, we should be giving Ole what he needs, not cutting corners IMO. The rest we'll just agree to disagree on, I do think he's a good CM but not to the level that you seem to feel, I wouldn't exchange Ander for him.
 
cantonaldo said:
Fergie was great at handling different players with different egos. I believe Ole is similar and if he is able to motivate Rabiot just like he was able to motivate most of our current set of players, he may just get the best out of him.

The club can always sell him if he turns out to be a turd of a player.
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Not with the kind of wages his Mommy wants for him. Even a club like PSG balked at giving him those and are letting him leave on a free. Also, we have a tough time offloading players anyway.
 
PSG are having FFP issues, hence I believe they're not paying him what he feels he is worth. Julien Laurens also said that PSG getting knocked out of the UCL in the last 16 will see them have to sell players to just balance the books.

Rabiot is someone that has fantastic ball retention skills under pressure, that would help us control games alittle better against quality opposition.
 
Many on the caf seem to think Neymar has too much attitude to be worth signing, so little chance they will think Rabiot is worth it.

For my money, Rabiot makes perfect sense this summer to me.
 
Trizy said:
I'm still in the Rabiot to United camp. As said before, worst case scenario it doesn't work out then we'll make money on selling him.

Best case scenario he buckles down and reaches his potential in a red kit.
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It's a great deal, coming for free. We reinforce an are we could with a great player, without spending for other areas. And we got the french connection to help him settle.

Would be a great deal.
 
I wonder if it might suit Pogba in a sort of all encompassing CM role to have Rabiot and Herrera covering both sides behind him. Not sure who played this way, maybe Veron or Matthaus but with 3 defenders?

Like if our summer is Sancho, Rabiot and Alderweild let's say:

Martial/Rashford--Rashford/Lukaku---Sancho
-----------Rabiot-------Pogba------Herrera----
Shaw--------Alderweild-Lindelof--------Dalot
-----------------------De Gea------------------

would be tough to play against, because everyone has good technical skills and mobility except Lukaku and De Gea and they bring other strengths to the table obviously.

My point is that while Rabiot-Herrera lacks a bit of creativity for a double pivot, it should make up for that in defensive mobility and balance and could free up Pogba and the fullbacks to really thrive.

Rabiot is very poised on the ball and has great size, the question for me is less about his attitude off the pitch and more so that he sometimes doesn't look like the result really matters to him.
 
I agree he can be an excellent tranfer if OGS could do his magic on him, he changes his attitude and he questions himself and considers this a new chance to prove the doubters are wrong.
BUT not at the quoted wages he's asking...not sure he is convinced we're a good enough club for him. :D
 
I didn't really want us to sign him. But I do now just for the pure banter after this week.
 
The kid is very good. Toxic or not we will be fools not to go in for him given he has very good ball retention and passing abilities. He is an upgrade to matic in my opinion. This is a decent video for those of you who dont know much about him.

 
I’d only really want this lad if he was willing to play that Fernandinho role. Maybe not every game, but he’s got the qualities to do it.
 
I just don’t get the whole ‘he refuses to play as a defensive midfielder’ thing as you play where you’re told by the manager, a player may have different ideas on where he thinks his best position is but that doesn’t mean that’s where they’ll play.

Also has there ever been stories of Rabiot falling out with other players or the dressing room or is it all that’s been a bit petulant and fallen out with Henrique who is even more petulant ? Is Rabiot an upgrade on Fellaini ? Is Rabiot an upgrade on all of our back up midfielders (Pereira, McTominay and Fred) ? Can Rabiot play across the midfield ? Can Ole man manage him ? These are the only questions in my mind.
 
MadMike said:
Well it's partly the below...



And partly Arab monarchs/sheikhs/emirs who aren't used to being challenged or defied over anything. They're not dealing with it in the most mature of ways.

It is stupid, I agree. But it's almost to be expected.
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Remember Inter doing something similar with Pandev and Sneijder.

Chelsea with Malouda too. It happens.
 
JPRouve said:
I'm talking about the attitude, it read like he tried to reduce how petulant and actually unprofessional Cantona was before joining United. The man was an absolute weapon, he was very talented but if it wasn't for Ferguson and the United part of his career, Cantona would have been remembered totally differently.
As for Rabiot, he is very talented and hasn't been remotely as disruptive as Cantona, the only issue with Rabiot is that he is irritating for fans and suits. The dressing room worries are overstated since he has never been involved in issues with teammates. Same thing with Pogba, neither player should ever be compared to Cantona.
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Ok, Rabiot’s problem is possibly overstated, going by what you have to say.

With regard to Eric and the previous post, I think it’s a world of difference to accomodate for a gamechanger and a contributor. Fotball leaders will often give a player with ‘attitudinal challenges’ much more leeway if they are gamechangers, and the team will easier accept it. If Rabiot was as sensitive and particular as Eric, I don’t think he is special enough as a player to make it acceptable accomodating him, for the sake of the team spirit more than anything.

Pogba is Eric level quality, but not difficulty, Mourinho wouldn’t accomodate him, but Solskjær will easily.
 
How do you guys see him playing with as DM alongside Herrera with Pogba at the front of both of then in a 4-3-3
 
I think Rabiot/Matic, Rabiot/Herrera could work as double pivot. Another problem is he didn't play regular football for some time now.
 
With some French players in our team and also our legends, I think we should try to bring him. Maybe Ole can manage him well. Very talented player and it's free
 
Adnan said:
He might be available for us during the run in..
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Genuine question.

If he gets the sack from PSG could he play the reminder of the season for another team?

He is class but is he really what we need?
There is always room for good players though. Would he be a good addition?
 
King.of.Red said:
With some French players in our team and also our legends, I think we should try to bring him. Maybe Ole can manage him well. Very talented player and it's free
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He's worth it on a free transfer. Still young and is very talented.
 
We should sign him. The way I see it is the club wont spend as much as we expect. Signing Rabiot on a free is good business. It would allow him to play RCM, in a position he prefers and Herrera/Matic/McTominay can share the DM role. I would prefer Pellegrini but a free signing is fine, if it means we sign a CB, RW and a Fullback.
 
Svartzonker said:
Genuine question.

If he gets the sack from PSG could he play the reminder of the season for another team?

He is class but is he really what we need?
There is always room for good players though. Would he be a good addition?
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If he would be happy to play as the #6, then he will be a fantastic signing. Even as a #8 he would be good. He is mobile and can retain the ball in high pressure games, which gives the midfield control in big games. There's much more to come too considering he's still 23.

I'm not sure if he could play for us for the remainder of the season if PSG sacked him.
 
Adnan said:
He might be available for us during the run in..
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If they seriously would cut him loose, they'd probably wait until the day after he can register for other clubs this season.
 
Let's face it, he's a quality player who would enhance our midfield, will be surprised if Woodward is not all over this in the summer.
 
Adnan said:
If he would be happy to play as the #6, then he will be a fantastic signing. Even as a #8 he would be good. He is mobile and can retain the ball in high pressure games, which gives the midfield control in big games. There's much more to come too considering he's still 23.

I'm not sure if he could play for us for the remainder of the season if PSG sacked him.
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Thanks for the answer! Only 23 years old is shocking. Feels like he has been around forever.

If he wants to join us and the attitude is right then why not. Lets see how this one goes. Real Madrid might also be interested.
 
we should be all over this move. he's not settled person right now- a chance of scenery and fresh start will settle him.
 
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