Arsenal reportedly close to Adrien Rabiot as agent arrives in London

Arsenal are reportedly on the brink of signing Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot, according to reports in the Metro.

The 19 year old progressed through the Parisiens’ youth system and has also won caps for the France under-21 side. The youngster made a total of 25 appearances at the Parc des Princes last season but has grown increasingly unsettled over the course of the summer.

The report suggests the Gunners are closing in on the signing of Rabiot with his agent arriving in London to finalise the switch to the Emirates Stadium. The North London club have been in talks with French side PSG for weeks over a deal for the youngster and after upping their initial bid to £11.9 million in the last few days, a deal is supposedly close.

It further states that the Frenchman has provisionally accepted a contract with Arsenal and now his agent and mother are in London to finalise terms. The Gunners are still waiting for PSG to accept the offer on the table, but it’s said to be close to their asking price and with the player refusing to train to force through the switch, they are under pressure to sell.

Rabiot made his professional debut with the French club in 2012 and is still regarded as one of the club’s most talented youngsters but currently sits behind the likes of Yohan Cabaye, Blaise Matuidi and Marco Verratti in the pecking order at PSG.

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Key Stats:

The youngster represented the French club 25 times last season scoring only 2 goals, but created 12 goal scoring chances. He is very consistent in finding his team mates as he averages a great pass accuracy of 90% and is also good with his shots on goal averaging a 39% shot accuracy.

Style of Play:

Rabiot is capable of playing anywhere in the midfield, from the holding role to a more box to box, attacking role. He is accurate with his passes and mainly likes to play short.

He is an engine in the midfield constantly running ahead and tracking back. He is of a slight built, despite being 6 ft 2 inches, so he can’t physically beat an opponent but his vision and positioning helps him exploit small patches on the pitch while he cleverly finds space for himself.

Should we Buy?

He may be young but he has a wealth of experience having featured regularly for PSG last term and on-loan at Toulouse before that. He is tall, strong and has a keen eye for a decent pass which is everything Arsenal are looking for with a defensive midfielder.

He isn’t a natural defensive midfielder however but has the strong physical presence in the mould of Mathieu Flamini, is comfortable on the ball and has brilliant possession statistics. He is very capable in the defensive aspects of the game and although it does still require some work, at such a young age he has plenty of time to be moulded into the perfect player.

The ability, age and potential of Rabiot make this a very good signing for the future. While he should not be the only midfielder brought in, as Arsenal need another defensive midfielder who can provide an immediate fix, Rabiot can provide the success in the long run.

Rumour Rater : 4/5

1 – Never going to happen
2 – Unlikely
3 – Could be possible
4 – Likely
5 – Done deal

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