Raphinha: How much will Leeds miss Brazilian winger?
- Published
Leeds would have been relegated without Raphinha's goals last season
Leeds United will enter the new season without their star player Raphinha after they agreed a £49m deal with Barcelona.
But despite his decision to leave after only two seasons at the club, the Brazil winger retains iconic status at Elland Road.
With skills galore and plenty of end product, he is bound to be a huge loss to Jesse Marsch's side, who have moved to replace him by recruiting Feyenoord winger Luis Sinisterra.
So just how important has Raphinha been to Leeds - and what will be add to his new team?
How much will Leeds miss him?
Leeds will need another source of goals now that Raphinha has left.
He cost United £17m from Rennes following their promotion to the Premier League in 2020. He was involved in 28% of Leeds' league goals during his two seasons, more than any of his team-mates.
Raphinha scored 17 goals - a total bettered at the club only by Patrick Bamford's 19 - and created 12, more than any of his team-mates.
"The guy was 'out-of-your-seat' box-office," said Adam Pope, who covers the club for BBC Radio Leeds.
"If he was not ending Gary Cahill's career with a spinning backheeled nutmeg, then he was dropping his shoulder, leaving defenders in his wake or goalkeepers transfixed as the ice coursed through his veins on a stuttering run-up before inevitably converting a penalty.
"I think he has been one of the greatest additions to the Premier League, let alone Leeds United, this century."
Seven of Raphinha's Premier League goals came from outside the box. Only Southampton's James Ward-Prowse - with nine - managed more in those two seasons.
Only three players - Newcastle's Allan Saint-Maximin, Wolves' Adama Traore and Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha - went on more runs than Raphinha's 286 - although seven players had more successful dribbles than his 118.
Raphinha created 129 league chances for his team-mates in those two years.
"His desire to win was insatiable but he was prone to bouts of petulance which at times angered fans," Pope said.
"What is undeniable is that he was essential to the club's survival last season because in the absence of the injured Bamford he was relied upon to be the top scorer with 11 goals. Seven of them contributed to earning 15 points in a campaign which saw the Whites' survival go to the wire.
"The best any fan could realistically hope for was that Raphinha would stay until after the World Cup.
"But just as RB Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams is perceived to have the unenviable task of filling the boots of local hero Kalvin Phillips, now at Manchester City, it will fall to Colombia international Sinisterra to conjure the magic which Raphinha takes to the Nou Camp.
"What he leaves is a club in the Premier League and the iconic image of his tattooed body in a deified pose celebrating amidst the Leeds fans in the away end at Brentford on a dramatic final day knowing that when he it mattered he delivered. Not a bad return for a £17m purchase from Rennes!"
Why - and how - have Barca gone for him?
Spanish football writer Andy West
Many heads are being scratched about how a club with more than £1bn of debt can afford to splash millions in the transfer market, but the explanation is actually fairly simple.
Barca president Joan Laporta, who inherited a fiscal car crash from predecessor Josep Maria Bartomeu, is working hard to restructure the club's finances.
He has already raised close to £300m by signing a new sponsorship contract with Spotify and selling 10% of the club's future domestic TV rights to investment firm Sixth Street, with further similar deals set to be finalised soon (not to mention, of course, possible player sales).
Barca have won only one trophy, the 2021 Spanish Cup, in the past three seasons and the chief purpose of Laporta's financial manoeuvring is to fund a squad capable of challenging for major honours.
So why Raphinha? Barca coach Xavi's love of pace, width, tactical variety and an appetite for running explains why he has been pinpointed, along with his obvious creative qualities, the fact he is approaching his peak age and his strong desire to join the club.
Tactically, the likely re-signing of Ousmane Dembele means the Brazilian could often be fielded on the left flank - he is, after all, left-footed despite spending most of his time at Leeds on the right. Raphinha's solid defensive attributes also give Xavi the option of fielding him as a wing-back in his preferred 3-4-3 formation.
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