In a recent report, Football London claimed that Leeds United star Raphinha is still on the radar of Chelsea. It is understood that the Blues remain interested in landing the Brazilian playmaker during the summer transfer period.
Raphinha’s Impressive Numbers At Elland Road This Season
Raphinha has continued to perform at a high level on the left side of the Leeds’ attack despite missing a lot of key games due to injury. The Porto Alegre-born sensation has banged in eight goals and provided two assists in 22 appearances for the West Yorkshire outfit this season across all fronts.
The 25-year-old has continued to excel as a valuable winger in Marcelo Bielsa’s first XI based on his average of 1.5 tackles, 2.9 shots, 2.0 key passes, 1.1 crosses and 2.3 dribbles per 90 minutes in Premier League football. However, he needs to work on improving his link-up play in the final third after making 68.5% of his attempted passes in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
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What Will Raphinha Add To Chelsea’s Team?
Raphinha can use his quickness to leave his marker to bite the dust out on the wide areas. He has added a lot of goals to his game and can fashion some inviting opportunities for his teammates in the final third. The Brazil international can strike the ball with power and accuracy which makes him a threat from long range. However, his ball distribution has left a lot to be desired, so there are some question marks over whether he can make a smooth transition to life at Stamford Bridge if Chelsea manage to get him on board this summer.
Even then, we can expect Raphinha to add a lot of quality to Thomas Tuchel‘s frontline. He is good enough to earn a regular starting spot at the West London club.
At 25, the best is yet to come from Raphinha, so Tuchel will do well to secure his signature at the end of this campaign. Plus, the Brazil international is primarily a right-sided wide player but can also fill in on the left flank if needed. Hence, he will give Tuchel more flexibility in terms of how he approaches certain games in the coming seasons.
