Football
Rabiot can fill the Ramsey void at Arsenal, insists Pires
Arsenal should replace outgoing midfielder Aaron Ramsey with Paris Saint-Germain star Adrien Rabiot, according to former Gunners winger Robert Pires.
Unai Emery’s men came to within one penalty kick from taking all three points in their 1-1 north London derby draw away to Tottenham this weekend.
Ramsey out, Rabiot in? Five things you need to know…
1.Ramsey and Arsenal couldn’t agree on a deal to keep the Welshman at the club.
2.With his contract expiring this summer, Ramsey has agreed to join Serie A giants Juventus at the end of the season.
3.Rabiot, whose contract is also set to expire this summer, looks set to leave PSG on a free transfer.
4.The Gunners have been advised to make a move for the midfielder by club legend Pires.
5.Their chances of success may hinge on their pursuit of a Champions League place.
Former Arsenal man Pires spoke to reporters about replacing Ramsey, who put the Gunners ahead against Spurs with a well-taken goal.
Pires believes PSG’s Rabiot is a good fir for Emery, who worked alongside the talented midfield while he was in charge at the French club prior to his move to England.
Pires told the Mirror: “Arsenal have the advantage of Emery having already worked with him at PSG, which should hopefully sway Rabiot to join Arsenal.
“He would be worth a big fee on the transfer market so the fact he’s free makes it a no brainer.
“If Emery can secure Rabiot then I think he’ll be able to fill the hole that will be left by Ramsey’s departure.”
Emery sees Rabiot in defensive role
Despite the fact that Emery has worked alongside Rabiot at PSG, it seems as though the current Gunners boss doesn’t believe Rabiot as a like-for-like replacement for the outgoing Ramsey.
Working intensely with Rabiot, Emery is in a fantastic position to know what the player can and can’t do and believes the Frenchman’s qualities are suited to a defensive role.
Emery spoke extensively about Rabiot earlier this year: “He’s a central midfielder, who is more comfortable playing as a defensive midfielder rather than a creative one.
“Even if he remains more of box-to-box, rather than a defensive midfielder.
“When you want to play with a defensive, creative and box-to-box-midfielders in fixed positions, Rabiot finds himself confronted to a problem.
“He has to run, run, run and not play in a fixed position statically. And even less so with his back turned on the action.
“Rabiot doesn’t really like playing as a defensive midfielder, he likes playing as a box-to-box, but I prefer him as a defensive midfielder.
“That’s why after the elimination against Real Madrid [in the 2017/18 Champions League], I told him he would play as a defensive midfielder.”