According to UOL Esporte, Newcastle United recently offered £35m for Leeds United star Raphinha.
The Magpies are seemingly big admirers of the winger, and with Leeds reportedly resigned to losing him in the summer, a deal may well be struck.
Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool have all been credited with an interest, but with Newcastle’s vast new-found wealth, we really can’t write off the idea of Raphinha rocking up at St James’ Park, and if he does, he would be forming one of the most frightening wing duos in England alongside Allan Saint-Maximin.
Indeed, Saint-Maxmin and Raphinha would complement each other beautifully.
They’re both inverted wingers who love to cut inside and shoot, and they’re both incredibly quick and skilful.
Newcastle fans know all about Saint-Maximin, the Frenchman is the definition of a human highlight reel, but Raphinha is one of the only players in the Premier League who can match him for trickery.
When it comes to dribbles per game, Saint-Maximin is the Premier League’s top-dog leading the charts with 4.3 per match, but Raphinha sits fifth, ranking highest of any left-footed right-winger in the division.
If these two are united in the same team, Premier League defences, quite simply, won’t be able to cope.
Of course, there’s something to be said about having too many dribblers in your team, and while Saint-Maximin could be called a luxury player, the same can’t be said about Raphinha.
The Brazilian is straight out of the Marcelo Bielsa school of thought, and that means he works incredibly hard, and even in what would be considered one of the hardest-working teams in the Premier League, he’s one of the Whites’ most determined runners.
A piece of analysis from LeedsLive earlier this year perfectly sums up just how hard Raphinha works.
‘This season, only two Leeds United players have registered 30 or more sprints in a single game according to Opta: Jack Harrison and Raphinha,’ The outlet wrote.
“Raphinha though, has now managed it three separate times, versus Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. Far from it being a mere coincidence, the winger is quite clearly leading the way when it comes to giving his all.”
While Saint-Maximin may be a pure showboater, Raphinha combines skills and trickery with incredible endeavour, and that means he’d perfectly complement Saint-Maximin.
If Raphinha joins Newcastle, he and Saint-Maximin could even give Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane a run for their money.
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