In a recent report, Sport claimed that Liverpool are still in the race to land Leeds United star Raphinha this summer. However, it has been revealed that the Reds are facing competition from Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona in pursuit of the Brazilian wide player.
Raphinha’s Important Role At Elland Road Last Season
Raphinha enjoyed a decent campaign at Elland Road despite struggling to perform at his best for most of the campaign. He helped Leeds survive a relegation scare by scoring 11 goals and securing three assists last season on all fronts.
The Brazilian speedster caught the eye by averaging 1.5 tackles, 2.5 shots, 1.9 key passes and 1.8 dribbles per 90 minutes in Premier League football. However, Raphinha was a bit careless when interchanging possession with his teammates in the opponent’s half after he made only 69.3% of his attempted passes in league football (stats via whoscored).
Should Liverpool Boss Jurgen Klopp Get Raphinha On Board This Summer?
Raphinha has got the pace to cause a lot of headaches for his marker out on the flanks. He is an excellent dribbler with the ball and can shoot the ball with power from long range.
The Brazilian talent can be a good finisher in front of the opposition goal when he is playing with confidence on the pitch. Raphinha is primarily a right-sided wide player but can even feature as a left-winger if required. However, he can be a bit inconsistent at times with his end product in the final third.
Still, Liverpool can definitely use someone of Raphinha’s skillset to increase competition for places within Jurgen Klopp‘s match-day. However, the Brazil international won’t be a regular starter at Anfield as he would struggle to compete with Mohamed Salah for a place in Klopp’s first team.
The 25-year-old is about to enter his prime, so the Reds can expect to get the best out of him in the coming seasons. Thus, the Merseyside club should think about getting Raphinha on board as he will be a decent option for them in the long run.
