In the midst of PSG’s superstar names is an emerging starlet: Adrien Rabiot

By Ross Mackiewicz

Paris Saint-Germain is one of Europe’s most enticing clubs at the moment. The vast array of talent that has arrived at the club over the past-18 months especially has been nothing short of startling for those affiliated with football in France. It is something that they have never witnessed before. The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva being the new darlings for the Parisien faithful would have been nothing but a pipe dream three years ago, yet here they are. Even the emergence of the club from Monte Carlo wooing Radamel Falcao to Ligue 1 may be perceived as money motivated but in terms of luring a player of that calibre to the league, it has only enhanced it.

But in the midst of PSG’s spending and the continuation of a project that is rolling at the speed of a runaway train, there are one or two little gems that have come through the academy. No more so than young central midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

The staff at Camp des Loges has been aware of the young man’s talent for quite some time since he arrived after a number of spells at other clubs. But even they will have been amazed at just how rapid his progression has been. He first announced himself really in a pre-season friendly against FC Barcelona in August 2012.

On a warm, humid evening in Paris with a carnival like atmosphere, it was a celebration of a new dawn for the club as such. The best team in the world at that time were in town and Les Parisiens were introducing their biggest signing to date, Ibrahimovic. The PR announcer exuberantly read the name of each member of the squad as they made their way on to the pitch for an introduction. The biggest roars were of course saved for the superstars but in the middle of all that, number 25 was announced and out came a fresh faced teen with a tall, slender frame.

Not many of the Parisien supporters will have known too much about him before but they soon did as he started the match against Xavi Hernandez and Sergio Busquets in midfield. It may have been a baptism of fire but it was a show of faith from the then coach Carlo Ancleotti to throw this 17-year-old in against some of the most accomplished football players of the modern era.

At that time, you could see the player had the potential. Although he has a lean physique, he is tall and surprisingly strong whilst in possession with the ball. He can play either side of a three man midfield, as he has done this season on a number of occasions. And importantly PSG are now starting to see a more expansive Rabiot who is letting the shackles go and run towards the 18-yard box.

His introduction against the Catalans was massive in the long term. It gave him a platform to build on. It was if Ancelotti gave a little snippet for him of what the future beholds with the potential for more nights like that, competing against the very best. He was used sparingly over the next few months. Nevertheless, he showed immense composure as well as maturity when he was brought into the fold. He started one game against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League at the back end of 2012. He played on the right-hand side of a midfield trio with Blaise Matuidi opposite and Momo Sissoko (remember him?) sitting just in front of the back four.

As far as the team performance went in the first-half, it was a timid one. But young Rabiot did not look out of place in a team littered with marquee names in the biggest club competition in the world. He was almost drinking it in, keeping things ticking over, putting on a very mature display. The introduction of Marco Verratti for Sissoko for the second-half was a help to him with the little Italian giving him the ball more which allowed him to express a little more. Unfortunately though, that was Adrien’s only appearance in the competition that season and also the only occasion he played 90 minutes for the capital club.

It was difficult. Not only did he have Matuidi, Verratti, Thiago Motta (when he was fit) and Javier Pastore competing for three of the central midfield slots (even two when Ancelotti played 4-4-2). There was also Clement Chantome who had a case as well to start – a player severely undervalued by Ancelotti in my opinion. The final straw was the arrival of David Beckham. As soon as the Englishman put pen to paper on a five-month contract, young Rabiot was shipped out on loan. But, it was the best thing to happen to him.

Toulouse, a likeable club in the south of France needed a central midfielder to come in and step up to the plate after losing Moussa Sissoko to Newcastle United. Credit to them, they showed wholehearted faith in Rabiot who arrived at the Stadium Municipal for the remainder of the campaign. It took him a couple of weeks before making his debut which came in a 2-0 defeat away to Rennes. However, it was his performance against Stade Brestois which set the tone for the spring.

He scored an absolute peach from 25-yards with his left-foot. He has quick feet for a tall man that allowed a little pocket of space to open before rifling past goalkeeper Alexis Thebaux who was beaten by the dip of the shot more than anything. That goal cemented his place in the team from there on where he became vitally important. The lad played in the middle of the park with Etienne Didot beside him and the other Etienne – Capoue (now at Tottenham) just in the middle of them, sat in front of the back-four. Not too dissimilar from the system he was used to at PSG back then, nor now.

Rabiot would complete 10 matches in the league. It was a huge to play regular top flight football and he excelled. He accumulated a number of assists against Sochaux and Montpellier at the end of the season, which just capped off what had been three very productive months at Les Pitchouns.

In addition to all that, he went on to the UEFA Under-19 European Championships with France, playing all five games en-route to the final but unfortunately Les Bleus fell short at the final hurdle against Serbia. Regardless, Rabiot along with his colleagues did magnificent to get there in the first place.

He returned to PSG a better player, there is no doubt about it. With a home-grown coach in Laurent Blanc now at the helm, willing to bed in young French talent, Rabiot’s chances of breaking into the first team increased. Out of the likes of Hervin Ongenda, Kingsley Coman as well as a young man who arrived for a large amount of money, Lucas Digne, he has probably made the biggest impact out of the young guns.

Blanc has no hesitation in starting Rabiot, entrusting him as part of that midfield trio which he has grown accustomed to. The coach more often than not rotates his team in the fixture just before a Champions League night which is a clever ploy. It has allowed Rabiot to start games which have improved him more so. In total he has started 12 games and you tend to forget that he is only 18-years-old. It is impressive, considering the array of talent PSG have in the area he operates.

The start of 2014 could not have been any better for him as he started three consecutive games, even netting his first goal of the season in the 3-1 win away to Bordeaux in the Coupe de la Ligue. However, he injured his knee ligaments in that game which has side-lined him for over a month. Now this has led to speculation that the club are looking to recruit a replacement in this January transfer window which does look likely. The worrying aspect for Rabiot is his playing time and this could play a part in him not signing a new contract which expires next year. He has already aired his concerns about this which has not gone unnoticed by other European clubs who are monitoring the situation.

The boy is so talented, progressing at a rapid rate that Paris would be silly to let him slip through their fingers. Ancelotti, Toulouse and Blanc have played significant roles in his development as a first-team player. For PSG’s sake, they need to reassure him that he has a future at the club. Otherwise what is their loss will certainly be another club’s gain.