In a recent interview with Football Insider, Kevin Phillips tipped Leeds United to demand over £40m for Raphinha. Phillips said,
“He’s a Brazil international now, that adds value.
“You’ve got to be talking £40million plus, Leeds certainly wouldn’t expect to receive offers of anything less than that.
“If he finishes the season strongly, and gets more international caps under his belt you would have to expect bids for around that amount.
“He just needs to take that form he found away with Brazil and use it to help Leeds get away from the bottom of the league.”
Raphinha’s Excellent Form At Elland Road
Raphinha has made a promising start to this campaign as he has been responsible for producing some eye-catching displays for the Whites down the right wing. The 24-year-old has banged in three goals in eight matches for the Yorkshire giants this season across various competitions.
The Porto Alegre-born sensation has been a consistent performer in both halves based on his average of 1.6 tackles, 1.0 interceptions, 3.4 shots, 2.0 key passes, 1.1 crosses and 2.6 dribbles per game in the Premier League. However, his accuracy when distributing the ball still has a lot of room for improvement as he has completed only 70% of his attempted passes in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored).
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Should Leeds United Boss Marcelo Bielsa Cash In On Raphinha?
Raphinha has been an unstoppable force for Leeds United down the right flank as he has effectively used his pace and dribbling ability to make a few dangerous runs with the ball in the opposition half. He doesn’t need an invitation to have a strike at goal and can create some decent chances for his teammates to find the back of the net.
The Brazilian talent also doesn’t shy away from his defensive duties and can make life difficult for the opposition by working hard on the defensive end of the pitch. However, he needs to work on improving his passing accuracy if he wants to take his game to another level.
Right now, Raphinha is one of the first names in Marcelo Bielsa‘s teamsheet. Hence, the Whites have every reason to demand a fee in excess of £40m for him if a top club comes in for the player next year. Still, Bielsa will be better off not cashing in on Raphinha as he could potentially help the Yorkshire outfit compete for a European place in the coming seasons.
