Why Juventus should let both Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey go this summer

It still remains a riddle as to why Juventus, when they needed to sign some reliable men in the midfield, went on to bring in free agents such as Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot in 2019. Though, there was a difference between the timeframe of Ramsey’s arrival and that of Rabiot.

The former joined Juventus in the January transfer window of 2019, while the latter move to Italy five months later. Yet with more than a year gone since their arrivals, none of the two has totally satisfied the appetite of the Juventus enthusiasts with their performances.

It is not as if they have been catastrophic over the course of their time in Turin, but they have been far from what Juventus required at the heart of the midfield.

Both prodigies have their unique attributes and are specialised in putting awe-inspiring performances on their days here and there.

However, a pile of forced circumstances might propel Juve to get rid of both in the forthcoming summer transfer window. According to a report from Calciomercato, Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot are getting unusual attention ahead of the 2021 summer transfer market.

Premier League sides in West Ham United and Crystal Palace have ignited their interest in the Welshman. On the other hand, Rabiot is believed to be more alluring to the big guns such as Manchester City and Barcelona.

Juventus should sell both Ramsey and Rabiot in tandem this summer

There is more than one reason as to why Juventus must part ways with Aaron Ramsey this summer. But the most concerning two are — his horrifying injury record and the lack of consistency in his game.

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Ramsey, 30, could prove to be a decent midfielder for a side, who always gets to finish a footballing season at the top half of the points table but never considers becoming champion.

But as a professional football player of Juventus, one must be ready to make the full use of every opportunity and most importantly, should possess the winning mentality.

The individual errors of an inconsistent performer sometimes prove to be too costly, and the club eventually pays the ransom, as Juventus did by getting knocked out of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 for the second consecutive year. This reflects the lack of strong character as well as the heap of inconsistency.

This season, Ramsey has been involved in 26 appearances for the Old Lady — the numbers would have been better had he not suffered from regular fitness issues, recording two goals and five assists this season, however.

The tally is too underwhelming for a player representing one of the biggest clubs around the globe. That being said, Adrien Rabiot’s output as a Juventus player is more embarrassing, with the 25-year-old registering three goals and two assists from 35 matches this campaign. Rabiot has had received way more minutes under his belt than Ramsey.

Now, one can, for the sake of an argument, could claim that the midfielders are not supposed to score as many goals as the forwards. Well, that is a fair point. But keeping in mind that Andrea Pirlo usually fields his team in the 4-4-2 formation, the chief mode of penetration ultimately should be via the midfield — a task that Juve midfielders, especially Rabiot and Ramsey, have failed to implement in their games more than often.

The other factors

Juventus’ early elimination from this season’s Champions League indicates there awaits a major reformation of the roster in the upcoming summer.

And the midfield is the area Juventus are reported to have prioritised for further renovation. A long-list of potential candidates includes big names like Paul Pogba and Houssem Aouar as well as an aspiring talent like Manuel Locatelli.

To secure their services, Juventus will be feeling the need for adequate funds. And in case they receive a green light in the pursuit of Paul Pogba, the requirement for the fund could witness an enormous leap. Amidst the ongoing pandemic, it is a well-known fact that the clubs are losing money daily, bearing a crisis in the financial department.

At a time when revenues are hardly accumulated and the accumulated ones are mostly used in paying the wages of the existing players, selling the ones, who need to be sold, seems to be the only way to collect the sum required to undertake the further renovation of the squad.

Furthermore, selling two bodies means creating some space in the dressing room for future additions.

As mentioned in the aforementioned report from Calciomercato, both Ramsey and Rabiot earn around €7 million-per-season each at Juventus. The Turin-based side would love to sweep those massive wages off their books.

In total, nothing seems more perfect than letting two of Juve’s underperformers leave this summer. However, offloading players such as Rabiot and Ramsey would only bear the symbol of real progression for Juventus when their vacancies find suitable heirs.