In a recent interview with Football Insider, former Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton believes Leeds United winger Raphinha will suit Liverpool and likened him to Diogo Jota. Hutton said, “You look at Liverpool, they always tend to pick out the gems from the other teams, you look at the likes of Jota and players like him.
“They’re quite clever, when it comes to getting these gems from the other teams that have unearthed them, if you want. Look, Raphinha’s playing at a high level, Leeds are doing really well at the moment. He could be the next Jota for them.
“It doesn’t surprise me that these teams, the likes of Liverpool, they probably need to get more players through the door, I think, to try and get them back to where they were last season.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all they’re looking at that type of player. He would suit Liverpool’s team down to the ground.”
Raphinha’s Impressive Form In The Premier League This Season
Raphinha has made an impressive start to life at Elland Road after producing a series of eye-catching displays as a wide player in Marcelo Bielsa’s attack. The Porto Alegre-born wing wizard has registered six goals and six assists in 25 matches for the Whites this term on all fronts.
The 24-year-old has given a good account of himself at both ends of the field as he is averaging 1.1 tackles, 0.6 interceptions, 0.5 clearances, 2.3 shots, 1.6 key passes, 1.0 crosses and 1.5 dribbles per game in the Premier League this season. However, he needs to improve his accuracy when distributing the ball from the flanks as evidenced by his pass success rate of 75% in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
What Are The Brazilian Attacker’s Best Attributes?
Raphinha has got blistering pace in his locker and can make some dangerous runs with the ball out on the wide areas using his quickness, agility and dribbling ability. He can be a hard man to catch when left isolated in a 1v1 footrace with the opposition full-backs.
The Brazilian sensation has added a few goals and assists to his game, which makes him such a valuable member of Marcelo Bielsa’s squad. At 24, he still has a lot of room to grow into a world-class player in his position someday.
Should The Reds Move In For Raphinha?
Liverpool currently have Diogo Jota and Divock Origi serving as the back-ups to Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. Jota is quite injury-prone while Origi has failed to give a good account of himself this season. Hence, Jurgen Klopp can benefit from recruiting a natural winger like Raphinha who will add more pace and depth to this squad in the coming seasons. With all things considered, the Reds manager should consider orchestrating a move for the Leeds star as he could potentially become the next breakout star in Premier League football.
