Grading The Catalan’s Marquee Transfer

Leeds United have been one of the most intriguing sides to have been promoted to the Premier League in recent seasons, and have certainly garnered a lot more attention from the media than one would expect of a promoted side. This is partly due to Leeds’ status as one of English football’s great old clubs, and their long-awaited rise back to the top table after decades spent in the Championship and even lower. The majority of the attention, however, has been brought by the sheer brilliance of Raphinha on the pitch.

Agreement in principle with @LUFC for the transfer of Raphinha

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 13, 2022

Leeds have had a decent few seasons in the Premier League so far. Their recruitment in the transfer windows has been a big reason for this, with Leeds bringing in some proven quality as well as young players who can be moulded and developed by Bielsa, and the biggest impact of all those arrivals has undoubtedly been made by Raphinha.

The Brazilian winger, who arrived from French club Rennes for £17 million, took a little while to settle at Elland Road, but he has become one of the most dangerous attackers in the Premier League over the last few years. He had also become an integral part of Bielsa’s system, with the manager’s faith best being shown by the fact that Raphinha has rarely been rested – the biggest sign that Bielsa trusts you, since he rarely changes his first-choice XI too much.

With all that in mind, Raphinha was obviously expected to move to one of the elite European football clubs, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona all in the front-seat for his signature at some point. At the end after a much-prolonged transfer saga, the Catalans have won the race for his signature and will pay around 70m euros including add-ons. FootTheBall take a look at how will he fit into Xavi’s system and whether a move to La Liga would suit the Brazilian.

Raphinha playing style and analysis

Raphinha is a 24-year-old winger, standing at around 5’9″ and weighing 58 kgs. Thus, he is a relatively light player, with a low centre of gravity which allows him to dribble effectively, as well as surge away from players at pace. The Brazilian is left-footed, and has primarily been played on the right, although he has been used on the left on occasion as well. As a result, he does look to cut inside, but Bielsa places huge importance on width in the final third, which is why Raphinha will often be found hugging the touchline,…