Adrien Rabiot
The first thing Jurgen Klopp did after Liverpool lost the Champions League final was spending money to fix his team. Fabinho was the first to arrive and then walked in Naby Keita. Alisson Becker arrived for a world-record fee and finally, Xherdan Shaqiri was the last one to join. However, if one looks carefully, Liverpool made sure to strengthen their midfield and ensure that they had depth for each position in the team.
While Naby Keita, Fabinho and James Milner are the starters, Jordan Henderson, Xherdan Shaqiri, Adam Lallana and Georginio Wijnaldum are usually on the bench ready to pounce. This includes the injured Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the former Arsenal man out for the entire season. So, with Liverpool linked with a move for Adrien Rabiot (h/t The Mirror), do they really need the Paris Saint-Germain man?
While the Frenchman’s talents are undoubted, his attitude has caused him and PSG major issues over the last six months or so. In fact, the club have been offering him heaven and earth and yet, the 23-year-old continues to refuse. PSG tried everything to keep the former Manchester City youth star at the club but their efforts were to no avail and now, he will leave for free.
But to make things worse, if a deal doesn’t take place in the January window, it could complicate any move in the summer. PSG have revealed that he will be permanently benched until a move takes place. This will prove to damage his career both in the short-term and the long-term, as he has the ability to become one of the best midfielders in the game.
However, with his agent revealing that Rabiot will leave in the near future, the question is where? With Barcelona, Arsenal, and a few other world-class sides interested (h/t Sky Sports), Rabiot seems to have the world at his feet right now. But a move to Liverpool makes no sense for either party, given the host of midfield talents that Jurgen Klopp has at his disposal at the moment.
An ideal move would be to Barcelona but even there, players like Arturo Vidal, Arthur Melo and Philippe Coutinho will eat up his chances of regular game time. His future is in a fix but it’s all Adrien Rabiot’s doing. With PSG seemingly disinterested in offering him a new deal now, what will he do come the January transfer window?