LIVE
...

Follow us on

Soccer Transfer News

‘Exemplary professional’: Unai Emery is a big fan of reported Arsenal target

NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Follow us on Google Discover
Unai Emery, Manager of Arsenal looks dejected in the final minutes of the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC at Anfield on August 24, 2019 in Liverpool, United… (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

It’s fair to say Unai Emery did not enjoy a rosy relationship with every single member of PSG’s pampered squad.

But while Neymar, Edinson Cavani and many more appeared to grow weary of a coach who can be meticulous and obsessive to a fault, it seems that he managed to stay on the good side of one of European football’s most controversial and outspoken characters.

Adrien Rabiot’s Paris Saint-Germain career ended amid burned bridges, public barbs and a bitter contract saga. But Emery, it seems, looks back on their time together at the Parc des Princes with a great deal of fondness.

“An exemplary professional, he has always had a good relationship with me, the staff and his companions,” said a coach who was handed his P45 at Arsenal in November; an announcement which would have had champagne corks popping in many corners of the Emirates dressing room (TuttoJuve).

“Adrien is a player that I would like always having in my teams. I was lucky to be able to train him.”

PARIS, FRANCE - APRIL 13:  Paris Saint-Germain head coach Unai Emery speaks with Adrien Rabiot during a Paris Saint-Germain training session at Centre Ooredoo on April 13, 2018 in Paris, France.  (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images

Unfortunately for Emery, he has already missed the chance to reunite with the France international in north London.

Arsenal are interested in offering Rabiot a fresh start with his short-lived spell at Juventus seemingly coming to an end, according to Calciomercato24.

But, given that Mikel Arteta appears to have a paint-stripping temper which belies his rather serene demeanour, Arsenal fans familiar with Rabiot’s controversy-courting ways should perhaps prepare themselves for a relationship with more than a few red flags and flare-ups.

Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and West Ham United at Emirates Stadium on March 07, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Harriet Lander/Copa/Getty Images)