Rakitic despite his age (still younger or at least the same age as Matuidi and Khedira) ,is an improvement over every single one of our CMs apart from maybe Pjanic at the moment who he’s probably at a similar level to.
There is a difference between not good enough and bad.. Anyway I personally dont rate these two either..
They all are good players but they arent the best deals on the market.
Your point does stand though..
The day Cuadrado and Sandro get injured, the shits going to hit the fan. We can get by everywhere else but their attacking play is vital for 4-3-1-2. We jumble up the rest of the team and still win because we have a big squad.
I would prefer someone with a few more years. Get rid of Khedira and Can for 25-35 profit total but free up some big wages and bring in Erikson and a young talent like tonali. Shouldnt be to much net spend and wages wouldnt go up to much as well. I wonder if Veratti is still unsellable? But hes on massive wages I think
I would be perfectly fine with Rakitic as long as it isn't too much expensive. He's good and would add some creativity that is desperately needed. I'd imagine he has two more decent seasons left in him and would fit in perfectly on the right side of Pjanic and Matuidi.
For next summer Tonali is a must, he would be my first signing.