The
stunning strike against West Brom, lifted into the top corner from outside
the box. The first-time rocket against Everton which took the roof off
Elland Road. The penalty, won and converted under pressure, which helped
secure survival against Brentford.
Raphinha gave Leeds supporters plenty of moments to savour. His 65 Premier
League appearances brought a total of 17 goals, many of them spectacular,
and a lot more besides. The bewitching skill, the feints and nutmegs, will
live just as long in the memory.
The 25-year-old was not widely known to English audiences when he arrived
from Rennes in 2020 but he certainly is now, his explosive performances for
Leeds, and subsequently Brazil, marking him out as one of the Premier
League's most coveted players.
Barcelona want him. Arsenal and Tottenham too. But it is now Chelsea in pole
position for his signature, the Blues ready to pay in excess of £50m to
secure what might just prove one of the most exciting signings of the
summer.
Raphinha lit up Elland Road. With 12 assists in addition to the 17 goals he
scored, he had a direct hand in more than anyone else at the club. A
talisman under both Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch, he was also a
nightmarish proposition for opposition defenders.
"Every time I've watched him, I think, 'I wouldn't like to play against
him'," said Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville earlier this year. "He's always a
huge threat," added Jamie Carragher.
The statistics show the full extent of Raphinha's attacking influence.
Since his debut in October 2020, the winger ranks top among Leeds players
not just for goal involvements but for chances created, dribbles completed
and shots too.
In fact, across the Premier League as a whole, he ranks joint-sixth in those
three metrics, behind only a clutch of names which features Kevin de Bruyne,
Heung-Min Son and Bruno Fernandes.
Raphinha played almost exclusively on the right-hand side of Leeds' attack
under Bielsa and Marsch and fulfils a similar role for Brazil, but one of
his biggest strengths is his unpredictability.
He is lethal when cutting inside onto his left foot but he ranked top among
Leeds players for through-balls as well as shots and he can go the other way
too. Nobody made more crosses.
Raphinha's set-piece delivery is another part of his armoury, both from
corners and from free-kicks, and his ball-striking ability is also clear in
his formidable goal threat from long range.
Since his Premier League debut, only Southampton's James Ward-Prowse can
beat Raphinha's seven goals scored from outside the box, that number
accounting for 40 per cent of his overall total.
Raphinha was given freedom to express himself at Leeds - "the best thing you
can do with players who are so spontaneous is let them be themselves," said
Bielsa - but he may be asked to pick his moments more selectively in a team
geared towards keeping the ball.
Chelsea, for example, averaged 62 per cent possession to Leeds' 52 per cent
last season, with Thomas Tuchel often bemoaning speculative shooting and
wayward finishing from his forwards.
Whether it's through a pass, a cross, or with the ball at his feet, however,
Tuchel will also have noted the frequency with which Raphinha gets the ball
into the opposition box.
According to Opta, Raphinha has registered 468 penalty area entries since
his Premier League debut, 73 more than Tottenham's Son, the next forward on
the list with 395, and 217 more than West Ham's Jarrod Bowen, the player who
ranks third on 251.
It is a reminder that Raphinha, while an undoubted specialist in long-range
shooting, is also unrivalled in his ability to get the ball into the area in
which opponents are most vulnerable - and the area in which Chelsea have so
often come up short.
His off-the-ball work is similarly appealing.
Raphinha regards Ronaldinho as his footballing idol but his eye-catching
flair is backed up by a tireless work ethic and relentless industry. He is,
in that respect, the archetypal modern forward.
"These days my position isn't just about making things happen in attack, you
also have to be very responsible in defence," he said in conversation with
Sky Sports in March of last year.
"Ever since I started playing football I've always liked this part of the
game, the intensity of running forward and tracking back.
"It's always important that a player is conscious that they must contribute
as much in defence as they do in attack."
That side of his game made him a perfect fit for Bielsa, whose man-to-man
marking system demands pressing all over the pitch and near-ceaseless
running, and it can be seen in Raphinha's numbers.
Among forwards since his arrival in the Premier League, only Joelinton - a
player who spent a considerable portion of last season playing in midfield -
has made more tackles than Raphinha while none have made more ball
recoveries or interceptions.
The most recent of those interceptions, when he cut out a David Raya pass
before skipping past the Brentford goalkeeper to win Leeds their penalty on
final day of the season, set up the most important goal of his two-year
spell at the club.
That passage of play also exemplified the sheer physical intensity of
Raphinha in full flow. Indeed, between his first Leeds appearance and his
last, Premier League tracking data shows he made over 200 more
high-intensity sprints than anyone else in the division.
It is just another reason why, less than two years on from his arrival in
the Premier League, some of the biggest clubs in Europe are queuing up to
secure his signature. Soon, it seems his penchant for the spectacular will
have a new set of supporters off their seats.
Raphinha heading to Chelsea - Leeds
planned for exit
Sky Sports News reporter Tim Thornton:
"Discussions are ongoing with Chelsea, it's a deal that's edging closer. But
it's not done yet. We know that Arsenal are interested in him and they had a
bid rejected. Barcelona are keen, Tottenham as well.
"Chelsea's interest is a long-standing one and the deal is edging closer.
Leeds are yet to receive a written offer so it's about going through the
technicalities of the deal now and the formalities. It looks like the player
is heading towards Stamford Bridge.
"It would represent good business for Leeds. It's not too long since he
joined Leeds for £16m but what a servant he has been for them. Seventeen
goals in the Premier League over two seasons. It's a move that suits him and
Leeds were aware that this could happen this summer. They planned for this."
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