Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey arrived at the same time in the same way at Juventus, sharing similarly tough starts, but one left with high stocks and the other faded from view.
In the summer of 2019, Bianconeri sporting director Fabio Paratici snapped up both midfielders on free transfers, with the Frenchman leaving Paris Saint-Germain and the Welshman closing out an 11-year spell with Arsenal.
Rabiot and Ramsey both were given high salaries by Juventus, around €7m net per season plus add-ons, being given four-year contracts. The hope was that both would play an important role under new coach Maurizio Sarri, but things didn’t go to plan.
Rabiot and Ramsey parallels
Rabiot featured often under Sarri but failed to find a rhythm in the Juventus squad, managing just one goal and one assist in 2476 minutes of action across 37 appearances.
Ramsey was more prolific with four goals and an assist in 35 matches, but only saw 1384 minutes of play as he struggled with fitness and form.
The Frenchman began to assert himself a little in the following campaign under Andrea Pirlo, but still wasn’t performing up to his lofty salary. For the former Arsenal man, his battle with injuries and fitness only continued, making him an even costlier error.
The turning point came in the summer of 2021, when Massimiliano Allegri returned. This proved to be a blessing in disguise for Rabiot, who truly proved himself in Serie A in the more defensively-rigid system.
It was a different story for Ramsey, who immediately failed to find any fitness for the third consecutive year. He was sent off to Rangers for the second half of the season and found a little more success, even if he did miss a decisive penalty in the Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
In August 2022, Juventus cut their losses on the Welsh midfielder and let him leave on a free transfer to Nice, closing the chapter on an expensive misstep. On the other side of the coin, Rabiot continued shining under Allegri and produced his best season yet with 11 goals and six assists.
Whilst the Old Lady were desperate to get Ramsey off their books the previous year, they rushed to offer Rabiot a new one-year contract just before his initial four-year deal expired, giving him one final season in Serie A.
The 29-year-old Frenchman has now left Juventus on a free transfer, having seen his stocks rise over the last three years. Since Ramsey’s departure in 2022, he’s faded from public view and now struggles for consistent minutes at Championship side Cardiff City.
‘stock rise over the last three years’ 😂
Thank you for the laughs.