Leeds United winger, Raphinha, is one of the hottest transfer targets in the summer. He is looking to leave the English Premier League and would prefer to join Spanish giants, Barcelona. Xavi is looking to rebuild the team and add some new names. Barcelona were scouting the winger throughout the season and were considering making an offer for him. Raphinha helped Leeds United to survive in the English Premier League by scoring and setting up crucial goals. Barcelona are lacking firepower from the right, and Ousmane Dembele is set to leave the club. The 25-year-old forward plays on the right wing and could solve Barcelona’s problems.
Raphinha made 35 appearances for Leeds United in the English Premier League. He found the back of the net on 11 occasions and provided three assists to his teammates. He made the most goal-scoring contributions for his side in the recently concluded season. When looking at the above chart, the general rule is that the longer the bar, the better the performance — you can see the league average in the middle, and the % is the percentile rank the player is in. The above viz compares Raphinha’s stats with those of other midfield players in the league. The 25-year-old averaged 0.29 goals per 90 minutes with the same xG rate of 0.29 minutes per 90 minutes. He averaged more than three touches per 90 minutes inside the opposition’s penalty box. Raphinha is also a good dribbler of the ball and averaged more than six dribbles with a 64% success rate. He was one of the top-performing midfielders in the league.
The above viz shows all the pass start locations as well as the threat created from passes at different intervals. He was always on set-piece duties for Leeds United, and we can observe that he has covered a lot of area in the final third. The winger likes to stretch the opposition defence and penetrate the opposition’s penalty box. Raphinha averaged 2.23 crosses, 1.5 smart passes, and 2.09 through passes per 90 minutes.
Raphinha scored 11 goals, and four of them came off the penalty spot. The above shot map shows that the winger likes to cut inside and favours his strong left foot to attempt shots. He averaged more than two shots per 90 minutes and overall had a shot accuracy rate of 29.07%. Raphinha can also score goals from outside the opposition’s penalty box, and last year, he scored two such goals.
The Brazilian player could be a valuable addition to Xavi’s side. He is creative and can score goals for the team. He has a huge price tag, which Barcelona will try to reduce. The player has also made his national team debut and is believed to have a bright future ahead.
