Adrien Rabiot insight: Scouting report, stats, transfer rating and more

2 hours ago 24

AC Milan completed two deadline day signings and one of them was Adrien Rabiot, a player that had been linked in months and years prior.

Rabiot was talked about as a transfer target earlier in the summer window – especially after the arrival of his favourite coach Massimiliano Allegri – and then things went quiet for a couple of months, before reigniting again towards the end of the mercato.

What ultimately pushed things forward was a bust-up that the midfielder had with Jon Rowe that caused Marseille to officially transfer list the pair of them. While looking for a way out, the possibility of reuniting with Allegri arose, and he jumped at it.

Compared to some of the other summer signings Rabiot is certainly less of an unknown quantity, but what type of player are Milan getting exactly? Can he be the perfect piece to complete the midfield?

Back story

Adrien Rabiot arrives at Milan, becoming the third most senior signing of the summer, and in turn, the third most senior member of the squad, sitting behind only Pietro Terracciano and Luka Modric. As a result, there is a lot of backstory to dive into.

As youth careers go, Rabiot’s is certainly one of the most intriguing stories to follow.

At just six years old, the midfielder was signed for Créteil, where he would stay for two seasons until 2003. Though he would return in 2004, after a short stint at Alfortville, however, this second spell is where things get interesting already.

The Guardian recalls how the Frenchman was picked up in 2008 by Manchester City, when a then-13-year-old Rabiot was impressing within the youth ranks in France and creating a name for himself. After discussions with representatives of the Sky Blues, Rabiot and his family moved to Manchester, Cheadle to be exact, largely powered by his mother Veronique’s desire to leave France, an influence that would become a regular part of his career.

In Manchester, he continued to grow, and the Citizens believed they had a top-class talent on their hands, even though he was still young, and thought he could play a part in their first team eventually. It is probably important to add a sidenote in here, this was not the City of the present, but rather the team just starting to get pumped with money.

Rabiot was uncertain of his quality, but even years on, former City academy manager Jim Cassell spoke highly of his talent.

“We liked him very much. It’s always a risk because we are going back to 2008. City were coming away from their very low point of the early 2000s, and we were progressing very nicely. It was a new venture attracting boys from further afield. He had a magnificent left foot. It’s unfair to compare him with Arnold Mühren, but he was that type of player; not the quickest, but a beautiful left foot, could pass it short, could pass it long.”

It was not a permanent solution, with the report stating how, again, Veronique Rabiot took control of the situation. However, this was understandable. Back in France, his father was in the hospital, and the family moved back to France.

After returning home, Rabiot spent time with Pau and Pôle Espoirs Castelmaurou; however, his big break came in 2010, when he began impressing at Camp des Loges, the youth academy for Paris Saint-Germain.

Interestingly, as The Guardian relays again, City actually made another attempt for the midfielder when he was 16, a year later. But it never materialised, and in the summer of 2012, he was offered his first professional deal.

That year, he was promoted to the first team by Carlo Ancelotti, with his debut coming in August that year. As the Wayback Machine relays from football.fr, the midfielder was a ‘revelation’, instantly taking to the Parc des Princes, and wowing the crowd.

After the game, the midfielder stated that he had ‘given it my all’, and he didn’t look out of place even in a team filled with stars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva. The French midfielder had made history, being the youngest midfielder to have played for the club at 17 years, four months and 23 days old.

Just more than two months later, he was given his first Champions League appearance, though he was loaned to Toulouse in January of that year, and he ended the year with 22 appearances, including the only goal, a 25-yard strike, in an away win at Stade Brestois.

As Rabiot returned, a new face was in charge, Laurent Blanc, and he believed equally highly in the midfielder, who was now establishing himself as one of the future stars of French football, and in the 2013/14 campaign, he made 25 appearances in Ligue 1.

However, this is where issues would start to emerge. Again, his mother Veronique took the lead, and after the threat of being dropped in 2014, she waited for Blanc in the car park of the training ground, as The Guardian recalls, stating that she ‘would not consent’ to the idea.

Only a few weeks later, the midfielder was given a new contract by the French club, and words from the club’s president, Nasser al-Khelaifi, followed.

“My dream is that he might become captain of PSG one day, but he has to respect the club, the coach, and his teammates.”

High ambitions for the young talent, but with equal words of warning, as they were words of praise. Something that, as we know, has followed him throughout his career.

Over the next few years, he became gradually more influential for PSG, though problems would remain in the foreground. No longer was this someone whose work on the pitch did the talking, but rather everything off of it.

Via The Guardian once more, the midfielder, during the height of his time under Unai Emery, refused to sign a new deal with the club, with Veronique holding talks with several European heavyweights, whilst he also began to have issues with the French Federation.

In 2019, things came to a head as Rabiot was suspended for turning up to training late with Kylian Mbappe. After that, he was rarely seen again, and President Khelaifi ‘washed his hands’ with the midfielder he once hoped would captain the side to greatness.

In that same year, Antero Henrique, the sporting director at the time, also condemned his actions, after posts on social media saw him in a nightclub after a Champions League loss against Manchester United.

“I find unacceptable the attitude and lack of professionalism of a player like Adrien Rabiot towards the club, his teammates and his supporters. Remember, up to June 30, 2019, he is part of our squad.”

So, when July the first rolled around, he was no longer part of that PSG super team, and instead headed to Italy for the first time, where he headed to Juventus, who had beat off competition from several European clubs.

At 24 years old, Rabiot took to Serie A instantly, which is well known, and despite the Turin outfit bouncing around managers when he joined, they eventually rekindled with Massimiliano Allegri.

Here is where that story really develops. Though the pair did not hit it off immediately, in November 2021, as relayed by OneFootball, Allegri publicly scalded the midfielder.

“It’s useless to talk about potential. Rabiot must do more; it’s very simple.”

In December, Juventus fans even applauded Allegri for hooking the midfielder, as Football Italia stated in the same year. Certainly not a good sign of things to come. However, that relationship would quickly change for the better.

There were even suggestions that the Frenchman could depart for Manchester United in the summer of 2022. Nevertheless, Rabiot opted to stay; whether it was his decision is doubtful, considering the demands that his mother-agent was making to the Red Devils.

Nevertheless, the idea paid off substantially. The axis between Rabiot and Allegri began to blossom, and after a ‘stellar display’ in the Derby d’Italia, Allegri spoke highly of him to DAZN, via JuveFC.

“I told Rabiot that if he was happy to go to Manchester, he could go. But he eventually stayed put, and he remains an important player for us. I just reminded him that at Juventus, he’s well respected, and that I consider him a great player with significant room for improvement. Adrien has now reached the age of maturity. He played an extraordinary match.”

As AllFootball relayed in 2023, the midfielder then expressed that Allegri was the key to him staying in Italy, as he renewed his deal with the Bianconeri.

“The coach wanted me to stay; he talked to me a lot this year to make me stay at Juve. Even on vacation, he sent me many messages, first of all, him and then also his staff.

“He is a coach for the incredible, even with young players, he takes the time to do things, explain… After 10 goals, what did he say to me? He doesn’t say ‘you did well’, he tells me I can do more, and what I did wrong. I like this, I don’t expect someone who tells me I’m good or extraordinary. I prefer someone who pushes me to give more, that’s why I get on well with Allegri.”

When Allegri left just a year later, Rabiot soon followed, heading to PSG’s bitter French rivals Marseille. This, as you would expect, earned him further heavy criticism in France, and he hit back, as Get Football News France relayed.

“At PSG, nothing has been given to me. When I was frozen out, PSG fans did not stand up for me. The hypocrisy must stop. I was far from being cherished. I can’t accept this disrespect, but I can understand those who were attached to me and who are disappointed.“

His time with Marseille was largely quite chill for Rabiot; he played well, and probably should have been in the conversation for best midfielders of the season. Something which he again hit out about, as GFNF relays again, “I’m top three midfielders this year, and I’m not third.”

Then, his time in France unfurled, after an entire summer of it seeming like he was going to stay with Marseille, despite the lure of a reunion with Allegri amid the persistent interest from Milan.

After ‘unacceptable behaviour in the dressing room after the match against Stade Rennais FC’, the midfielder was transfer-listed in the middle of August, and then, the move to the Rossoneri opened up.

A player as entertaining off the pitch as he is on it, Rabiot’s backstory certainly has a lot of questionable moments. However, his brilliance cannot be denied…

Strengths and weaknesses

Rabiot occupies higher positions in wide areas, providing depth to Juventus’ possession structure. This movement opens passing lanes and relieves immediate pressure on the ball-carrier, allowing play to progress more effectively

He contributes to breaking the press in Juventus’ own half by readjusting his position to provide a passing outlet. Here, he positions himself between two Milan players and receives the ball to progress play.

His pace makes him a potent threat in transition. In this instance, he matches Kostić stride for stride, arriving in the box while Inter’s defenders are preoccupied with forcing Kostić wide and preventing him from driving centrally.

His tall frame enables him to shield possession effectively, using his body to position himself between the ball and the opponent, reducing the risk of being dispossessed.

Rabiot deliberately vacates spaces to draw markers out of position, creating passing lanes for his teammates. This movement helps Juventus manipulate the defensive structure, opening central channels and supporting smoother progression through the thirds.

Rabiot actively engages in counter-pressing immediately after possession is lost, applying pressure to the ball-carrier and helping Juventus regain control high up the pitch.

Crucially, Rabiot tracks back diligently, a quality Allegri highly values, as it reinforces Juventus’ defensive stability during transitions.

Weakness:- Rabiot lacks the vision and passing range to consistently play incisive, line-breaking passes. His contribution in possession is therefore more functional than creative, relying on ball retention and progressive carries rather than unlocking defenses with distribution

Statistical comparison

If we look back through the last few league seasons, we can see where Rabiot stands out and that is by generally consistently providing end product, which could be missing after Reijnders’ sale.

Last season with Marseille, the 30-year-old racked up an impressive 14 goal contributions in 29 Ligue 1 games (nine goals, five assists) and actually became an added weapon for the attacking department.

With Juventus in 2023-24 he got five goals and three assists in 31 Serie A games, while the season prior to that he registered eight goals and four assists in 32 league games, getting back towards one-contribution-every-two-games level.

The sharp rise in his attacking output from the years before that show not only that he has been played a little bit further forward and has been given the license to get into the box, but also a maturation on the player’s part.

Looking at FBRef for some useful metrics, it is once again very clear the areas that the former Paris Saint-Germain man excels.

Compared to positional peers in the ‘top five’ leagues around Europe, plus the Champions League and Europa League, Rabiot ranks in the 94th percentile for Passes Attempted per game (55.68), the 98th for Pass Completion (84.8%) and 90th for Progressive Passes (6.12).

Not only that, but he does the dirty work too in his preferred mezzala role. He ranks in the 80th percentile for Tackles (1.71 per game), the 90th for Interceptions (0.73 per game), the 86th for Clearances (1.15 per game) and the 90th for Aerial Duels Won (1.19 per game).

In terms of his shooting, Rabiot’s Shot On Target rate of 44.9% has him in the 84th percentile, his Goals/Shot ration is in the 88th percentile at 0.18 and his Goals/Shot On Target rate of 0.41 per game is in the 79th.

His Non-penalty xG per Shot ratio of 0.15 is in the 90th percentile, i.e. proving he takes high-quality shot. This is something that Milan’s midfield has struggled with a bit already this season, referring to Youssouf Fofana in particular.

Essentially, when looking down the bar graphs for all of the various metrics, there is a lot of green. It shows that Rabiot is a multi-tool midfielder who contributes at an above-average level across various areas of his game.

What about a player comparison? Well, looking at who Milan lost (Reijnders) and who Rabiot might compete with (Loftus-Cheek and Fofana), we can start to draw some conclusions.

There is no single metric among the ones DataMB use for their radar where Rabiot is top. However, he is also not bottom in any either. He is 3rd among the players mentioned for duel %, 2nd for possessions won, 2nd for progressive carries, 3rd for forward passes, 2nd for forward pass %, 3rd for key passes and 3rd for progressive passes.

For additional comparison, we can see below a comparison between Rabiot and two other midfielders that Milan were linked with throughout the summer in Granit Xhaka and Javi Guerra.

Xhaka’s radar is very similar to Luka Modric, in the sense of being someone who constantly wants to get on the ball and create things, usually from a deeper-lying position but not being as proficient in ball carrying. Guerra, meanwhile, is not better in any one attribute but is much younger at 22.