MX23RW : Sunday, January 19 02:39:21| >> :120:6808:6808:

How Arsenal could line up with Adrien Rabiot

Amid reports suggesting that Adrien Rabiot is open to joining Arsenal, Sports Mole looks at how the Gunners could line up with the Juventus midfielder in their ranks.

For the second summer in a row, the future of Adrien Rabiot is set to make numerous headlines.

The 25-year-old was one of the most coveted free agents on the market last year, with Juventus eventually winning the race for his signature.

However, his time in Turin has not gone to plan so far, making only 11 Serie A starts for the Italian champions, and he has once again been heavily linked with a transfer when the window reopens.

Manchester United and Everton have been most strongly linked with the Frenchman, but recent reports have suggested that Arsenal could also be interested, and that Rabiot would be open to joining the Gunners.

With that in mind, here Sports Mole looks at how Mikel Arteta could line his side up with the addition of Rabiot.



ARS XI w/ AR

Arsenal's interest in Rabiot certainly makes sense when it comes to where the Gunners may need to strengthen this summer, with loanee Dani Ceballos looking increasingly likely to return to parent club Real Madrid.

Ceballos had begun to establish himself alongside Granit Xhaka as Arteta's favoured defensive midfield pairing before the coronavirus lockdown, and in theory Rabiot should be able to slot into the same position as a like-for-like change.

The Frenchman is happy to sit back and provide an anchor for those in front of him - as evidenced by the fact that he has not scored or assisted a single goal for Juventus so far - which could enable Arteta to take a few more risks further up the field.

Record signing Nicolas Pepe has not been used alongside other 'luxury' players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil too often, but Rabiot's discipline behind them could make that a more viable regular option.

Of course, that relies on Aubameyang staying at the club, and another question mark in this imagined XI comes up front, where Eddie Nketiah appeared to have moved above Alexandre Lacazette in the pecking order before football was suspended.

A player like Lacazette is unlikely to accept being second choice for too long, and his future has been cast into further doubt recently due to off-field transgressions.

At the back, David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi seem to be firmly entrenched as Arsenal's first-choice centre-back pairing now, and either side of them Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin are likely to be the top choices in a fully fit squad.

There should still be regular opportunities for Arsenal's many talented youngsters too, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Matteo Guendouzi, Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson all pushing for places.

ID:399752: cacheID:399752:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6103:
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pictured in Europa League action in February 2020
Read Next:
Arsenal's most valuable players
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool21155150203050
2Arsenal22128243212244
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest21125430201041
4Newcastle UnitedNewcastle22115638261238
5Chelsea21107441261537
6Bournemouth22107536261037
7Aston Villa2210663334-136
8Manchester CityMan City2110563829935
9Fulham228953430433
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2171043229331
11Brentford2284104039128
12Crystal Palace226972528-327
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd217592629-326
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2275102743-1626
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs21731143321124
16Everton203891526-1117
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2144133148-1716
18Ipswich TownIpswich2137112037-1716
19Leicester CityLeicester2235142348-2514
20Southampton2113171347-346


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!