Tottenham-linked Adrien Rabiot closing in on a move to Marseille
Tottenham Hotspur were offered the chance to sign France international Adrien Rabiot on a free transfer last month. However, Spurs passed on the opportunity to sign the central midfielder.
Adrien Rabiot ended his five-year-long association with Juventus following the expiry of his contract at the end of June and has been without a club ever since. He was without a club when representing France at the 2024 European Championships in Germany earlier this summer, although it was expected he would soon be snapped up once Les Blues’ tournament ended.
Despite being linked with some of Europe’s big-hitters, the 29-year-old has remained a free agent. However, transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano reported on his official X account that Ligue 1 side Marseille have booked a medical for Rabiot, who is set to return to France and sign a two-year deal with the club.
John Wenham, the owner of the reputable Spurs podcast Lilywhite Rose, has claimed that Rabiot would not have been an ideal signing for Tottenham.
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“For me, this would be an absolute no,” John Wenham said in an exclusive interview with Tottenham News.
“His ability isn’t that high, and he comes with a lot of baggage. Therefore, I think it would be a real step in the wrong direction to pander to his demands, as well as the demands of the entourage of people that he comes with.
“We’ve done well clearing out a lot of the dead wood this summer. As a result, Rabiot is not a player I’d be going anywhere near whatsoever, even on a free transfer with low-wage demands.
“As I
said, I wouldn’t go near him. I just think he’s not the direction we want to go in.”
Veronique Rabiot, Adrien’s mother and agent, had offered his son to several clubs including Spurs since the start of July. She was supposedly demanding wages of around £200,000 a week. This could have been one of the primary reasons why the Lilywhites didn’t take up the chance to sign the Frenchman on a free transfer.
Signing a player of his quality, winning mentality and experience on a free transfer would certainly have been an excellent bit of business for Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs, but Wenham is correct when he says Rabiot ‘comes with a lot of baggage’. There have been problems with his attitude off the field in the past, while his mother and agent Veronique continues to be a controversial figure for her spats and outbursts.
Ange Postecoglou has an array of options in the middle of the park. In Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr, Spurs appear well-stocked as far as the midfield unit is concerned. So, Daniel Levy and Spurs are unlikely to regret their decision of not signing Rabiot, who is now closing in on a move to Marseille.
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The last thing Big Ange and the club needs is more off-field distractions and unnecessary media attention over a high-profile player like Rabiot after a dismal start to the 2024/25 season.
