Arsenal have entered the race to sign Leeds United winger, Raphinha. The Gunners are battling with other English Premier League clubs to acquire the services of the Brazilian player. Raphinha played a crucial role in Leeds United’s survival in the English Premier League, but the player is looking for a move away from Elland Road.
Signed from French club Rennes in 2020, Raphina has only spent two seasons at the English club. In the two seasons at Leeds United, the player had a lot of impact on the gameplay of the team. He became the main man to lead Leeds United’s attack and carried his team on his back last season.
Raphinha plays on the left wing and has featured in 35 matches for Leeds United in the English Premier League. He scored 11 goals and provided three assists. The above viz shows the pass start location as well as the threat created from passes at different time intervals. Raphinha averaged 6.04 dribbles per 90 minutes with a 64% success rate. He got past the opposition defence and penetrated the opposition’s penalty box. Raphinha was also present for set-piece duties and attempted passes from both sides of the field.
When looking at the above chart, the general rule is that the longer the bar, the better the performance — you can see the league average in the middle, and the % is the percentile rank the player is in. The above viz shows the attacking and creativity stats in comparison to other midfielders in the league. Raphinha was one of the highest-scoring midfielders and had a high percentile rank for xG per 90 minutes. Notably, he was involved in 12.25 attacking actions and was one of the most creative players in the league.
The above viz shows the attacking and creativity stats from the English Premier League 2020/21 season. We can notice that Raphinha showed the same level of consistency in the two seasons. He showed some improvement in the last season and had a better percentile rank. The 25-year-old made 30 appearances and scored six goals. Raphinha created more chances for his teammates and provided nine assists.
Last season, Raphinha attempted 86 shots, with a 29.07% shot accuracy rate. He scored 11 goals, including four from the penalty spot. The Brazilian scored most of the goals from near the penalty spot. It can be observed that Raphinha likes to cut inside and attempt shots towards the opposition goal. The player has managed to score goals from outside the penalty box.
Arsenal have Bukayo Saka playing on the right wing. Martin Odegaard starts in the number ten position for the Gunners, but his average position shows that he plays towards the right side and has created a partnership with Saka. If Arsenal sign him, then the player might play on the right wing, and Saka might operate as a false nine striker. Arsenal will go hard to buy the player, and he might end up playing for the North London club.
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