Daily Mirror journalist David Anderson has claimed Leeds United winger and star man Raphinha has looked ‘bewildered’ in recent weeks amid speculation of his departure from the Yorkshire club in the summer transfer window.
Leeds are fighting for their lives with one game left to go as they currently sit 17th in the Premier League table, occupying the last relegation spot, with Everton just ahead of them in the battle.
It is safe to say the 2021/22 season has been nothing short of disappointing for the Whites as several vital players faced long periods off the pitch and were hit by the sacking of fan favourite manager, Marcelo Bielsa.
However, one shining light of the season has been Brazilian winger Raphinha who has at times carried the team and has been one of their most consistent threats throughout the campaign. This is why recent speculation of his departure in the summer will indeed have hit fans of the club hard as they could face another uphill battle to regain their top-flight status upon their possible relegation at the end of the season.
Leeds will find it almost impossible to keep the Brazilian if they do go down as he has garnered interest from the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United (via SI). Even if they do stay up they will struggle to keep him, but relegation will also see them take a huge hit on the player as it has been reported his price will plummet to £25 million.
According to Anderson, he believes these rumours of Raphinha’s departure have affected his recent form and relegation will mean a transfer away from the club is guaranteed.
Talking to GiveMeSport he stated, “He looked a bit bewildered, a bit distracted at the Emirates last Sunday. Is he distracted by all the speculation?
“We know that Barcelona want him. We know if they go down, he’s definitely going to leave; he’s got a buy-out clause in his contract. So it’s a tough one to get his head right to basically dig Leeds out of this deep, deep hole that they’re in.”
TIF Thoughts on Raphinha…
There is no doubt the Brazilian has been the Whites’ best player this season as he has constantly impressed and boasts the most goals for the club in all competitions with 10. However, a worrying stat is that eight of these came before the turn of the new year and he’s only managed two since the start of 2022.
Despite this, he had had an impressive season, outperforming all other teammates in shots (1.9) and key passes (1.8) while also averaging 2.4 shots per game as well as 1.5 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 0.7 clearances per game (WhoScored).
With a trip to Brentford remaining, Leeds will have the relegation picture laid out for them with Burnley and Everton both making up their games in hand during the week.