Journalist Dean Jones claims that Raphinha will be one of the players happy to see the back of Marcelo Bielsa after he was being left out of the side by the Argentine.
Raphinha scored six times in 30 league appearances last season for Leeds and has improved this record this season as he has already scored an impressive nine goals in 24 games.
Despite this impressive form, there have been times where Bielsa has not picked the Brazilian or substituted early, such as in the Everton game a fortnight ago, when he was dragged off at half-time.
Having been dropped to the bench for the defeat to Manchester United a week later, Jones stated to GiveMeSport that it was “strange” of Bielsa to leave Raphinha out of the side and the Brazilian will be relieved that the coach has now gone.
“I think for Raphinha too; it’s a sigh of relief almost for him because, for whatever reason, Bielsa was leaving him out of the team, and it was very strange.”
TIF Thoughts on Raphinha this season…
Raphinha has been excellent this season for the Whites and has been awarded an average rating of 7/10 over the past 12 months, as per SofaScore.
His fine form has attracted attention from top Premier League sides, including Chelsea and Liverpool, so if Bielsa was still in charge of the Whites for the remainder of the season and continued to leave him out, he could easily have been facing an exit from Elland Road – though he was reinstalled to the starting lineup for the defeats to Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur which ultimately sealed Bielsa’s fate.
However, if Raphinha does feature under new boss Jesse Marsch and continues his good form, more clubs could be interested in his signature, and with the temptations of playing in Europe, it may be difficult to turn down if an offer comes in.