Chelsea Favourites to Sign Winger From Leeds: Does This Call for a System Change?
A transfer bombshell dropped today with news that Chelsea are now favourites to sign mercurial Brazilian winger Raphinha from Leeds United for a fee close to £55 million.
Barcelona had been firm favourites for the winger but have been unable to manage the financials for a deal while Arsenal holds a firm interest in Raphinha too, with their valuation falling a bit short of Chelsea’s expected bid.
The signing of Raphinha, in addition to and not instead of, Chelsea’s expected coup of Raheem Sterling signals strong and clear intent from the club in the first summer window under new ownership.
Raphinha has scored 17 goals and delivered 12 assists in his 2 seasons at Leeds United with flashes of his talent and ability clear to see.
Chelsea have already sent an official proposal to Raphinha and his agent Deco to discuss personal terms as Boehly wants to be fast to avoid problems. Work in progress. 🚨🔵 #CFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 28, 2022
Chelsea will also send new bid to Manchester City for Raheem Sterling - Tuchel wants two wingers. pic.twitter.com/Evjc5UvWSO
What would Raphinha bring to Chelsea?
It’s being reported that the signing of Raphinha by Chelsea would be in addition to that of Raheem Sterling, signalling a possible switch to a 4-3-3 shape from their previous 3-4-3 to best accommodate their talent. The primary reason Thomas Tuchel is keen on Raphinha is that he’s keen to add a winger with excellent 1-v-1 ability to beat a man.
Raphinha is a left-footed winger who functions predominantly on the right wing. His style is cutting in on his favoured left foot to score and create. Raphinha has pace to burn and as mentioned above, his dribbling ability to beat a man is one of his strongest qualities.
He attempts a high volume of shots, creates a high number of shot-creating actions and scores high for progressive passes attempted, showcasing his all-round ability as a winger.
He has the ability to score goals as well as create and progress attacks at a high level in addition to his physical qualities. He is, thus, a player with immense potential with a very high ceiling and he’s expected to take his game up another level in a team of elite players like Chelsea.
He shows up at 60th percentile or greater in every defensive metric on fbref.com, reflecting how he doesn’t lose any of the industry that’s the hallmark of a modern winger in all his attacking prowess.