Encouraging news in Rabiot loan deal

The will-he, won’t he nature of Adrien Rabiot’s potential loan move to Tottenham this January already has a saga feel to it after only 13 days of the month.

However, the latest on the potential switch is that an esteemed French journalist has revealed that the move could well happen and the player wants a spell elsewhere to play more regularly.

Julien Laurens told BT Sport’s European Football Show that Rabiot has a clause in his contract, recently signed, that states he is allowed to leave Paris Saint-Germain on loan this month if he chooses.

“He signed a new contract but there’s a clause in that contract saying he would be allowed to leave on loan in January,”the journalist said.

“The problem is PSG have changed their mind a bit. They are thinking, ‘well you’ve been playing well we want to keep you’.

“There’s bit of dispute, his agent saying ‘you promised to let us go in January for six months, we want to go to Tottenham’.”

With injuries hampering PSG’s squad at the moment, Rabiot has been brought back into the fray by Laurent Blanc and scored in the French champions’ surprise 4-2 defeat to Bastia at the weekend.

As such it seems only natural that the Ligue 1 powerhouses will want to keep the player while he is needed, but Rabiot will know that he will more than likely be back on the Parc des Princes bench when the likes of Thiago Motta return to availability.

The question that Spurs fans should really be asking though is if the club actually need the 19-year-old and whether his loan capture is a positive move.

There is no doubting that the midfielder is an excellent player, even at such a young age, and a prodigious talent that could well bring exemplary technique and a bit of crispness to Spurs’ midfield.

Also, with Nabil Bentaleb away at the African Cup of Nations and the futures of Paulinho and Etienne Capoue up in the air, Rabiot’s temporary acquisition could bolster Mauricio Pochettino’s options.

However, despite his ability, there is no chance of Spurs landing Rabiot permanently in the summer as no option-to-buy would be included in a loan deal and as such it feels like a short-term fix.

With the teenager having to adjust to a new club, style of play in England, gel with team-mates and get used to a totally different environment, by the time Rabiot is finding his feet it could well be time for him to return to France.

With Bentaleb and Ryan Mason performing admirably in the centre of Tottenham’s midfield and coming of age this season, Rabiot’s presence could well disrupt a promising partnership.

The France under-21 man’s presence could well limit one or both of the Spurs youth graduates’ development and time on the pitch, which can’t be good for the club in the long run.

With the young pair proving their worth and the future of the club, it feels like Pochettino needs more suitable back-up options in his squad rather than players that will take one of them out of the team.

There are also other areas of the squad such as left-back, right wing and up front that could do with new players and should be Pochettino’s priority rather than the centre of midfield.

 

Does not make any sense, just recall Tom Carroll and let him play. We need somebody to bring the ball to our front three and Carroll can pass the ball.

 

Tom Carroll is out on a season long loan to Swansea, isn't he? I don't think we can recall him, even if we wanted to. We don't know what condition and form Bentaleb will be in when he comes back from AFCON, but history tells us that a lot of African players struggle to re-adjust after their tour of duty in this tournament, especially if their country goes deep into it. If Poch wants this French kid, then it tell us he clearly doesn't trust Dembele, Capoue or Stambouli to play the defensive role well. It's probably also a wake up call to them, if they haven't woken up already. You do the deals you can in this transfer window, but I will still be surprised if we don't get a striker before the month is out.

 

Left back and right wing do no need strengthening at all. We have rose n Davies, in emergency Jan and at the moment Naughton (and benny is in exile!) plenty of options on right wing too. I see this loan as pointless unless there is option to buy. If he wants a less ponderous CM than Dembele he should have kept Holtby or at least try and recall him!!!!

 

firstly I'm black myself so what I say next is not racially motivated but all European clubs should refuse to sign any African players until the cup of arogance is moved to the off season like every single other football tournament ! *cking joke that it's mid season every two yrs. disgrace.. are these idiots paying players wages while they miss a hugely important month if the season ?? no I doubt it !!
secondly we don't need a left back, we need a right sided midfielder with pace, a forward who actually likes football as opposed to "bank balance watching !" & get rid of the dead wood, free if ness because maybe other clubs are not as stupid as to over pay the vast amounts we did so we will never recoup the full fees !!

 

No need for a new left-back at all! Ben Davies is more than capable and has proved so already. Just like any sportsman - he need a consistent run in the team.

Rabiot deal will hardly hinder Bentaleb and Mason's progression if it's a six-month loan deal? If it's a short term fix, as you've stated, he'll provide adequate cover, or heck, he may even improve the players around him if his reputation at PSG is anything to go by.

If Mitchell and Pochettino are behind this deal, as reports have suggested, I don't see why we would be against it.

What's the worst that can happen? One of the following two:

a) He comes in and he improves our side for the six months of his deal - great buisiness.
b) He comes and is not as good as anticipated, so he goes back to PSG in the summer as we have no obligation to buy - great - no financial commitment.

It really is a win-win this one.