As things stand, Raphinha’s decision to leave Leeds United, where he was widely seen as one of the best players in the team, to go to Barcelona hasn’t worked out.
It’s certainly still very early days, and there is plenty of time for him to turn things around, but the Spanish press, who covered the saga in great detail, aren’t overly impressed with his first half of the campaign.
That stems from his performances on the pitch, and the player himself isn’t overly thrilled with his form since leaving Leeds.
He has one goal and four assists to date in 17 appearances, but he isn’t a regular starter just yet, having seen Ousmane Dembélé return to great form under Xavi.
That’s why Raphinha has often been pushed to the left hand side when playing, which he isn’t overly fond of and told his manager about, as explained in an interview with Que Thi Jugues, relayed by AS.
He said: “Yes, I told Xavi. I think he got it. I want to help the team as much as possible. I told him that I wasn’t helping the team on the left. I don’t mind competing with Ousmane on the right. I like that competition, but I would like to complete in my place, where I feel more comfortable at the moment.”
During his time at Leeds, Raphinha scored 17 goals and assisted another 12 in 67 games in all competitions before being sold to Barcelona for a reported €58m
