Raphinha may have made a mistake rejecting Chelsea for Barcelona

Suraj Radia

18 Oct 2022 13:30 CDT
3 min read

Raphinha, Barcelona, Chelsea, 2022/23 — © ProShots

Raphinha rejected a number of clubs to join Barcelona this summer but an underwhelming start to his career in Spain may leave the winger wondering if he made the right call after all.

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Barca ended up signing Raphinha from Leeds despite Chelsea offering more money, as the Brazilian always had his heart set on moving to his dream club.

Raphinha has scored just once in his nine appearances for Barcelona and is on a run of eight games without a goal or assist in all competitions, with his side second in La Liga and on the verge of a Champions League exit.

The 25-year-old has only completed a full 90 minutes once so far this season and could find his minutes drop even more after Ferran Torres netted for Barca having replaced Raphinha in the game against Real Madrid.

With Ansu Fati also playing his way back into fitness, some reports have suggested that Barcelona are privately wondering if they made a mistake paying €59 million for Raphinha.

Raphinha may also find his place in Brazil’s line-up in jeopardy if his form does not improve, despite scoring twice in the recent international break.

Brazil will have to make a tough decision on their attackers, with Gabriel Jesus, Anthony, Richarlison, Vinicius Junior, Neymar and Rodrygo all vying for Raphinha’s forward spot.

Raphinha ‘perfect’ for Arsenal

Arsenal were also among the clubs interested in Raphinha but they may not regret missing out on him as they sit four points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Reporter Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is a ‘big fan’ of Raphinha but insists the player needs time to adapt to the new surroundings of Barcelona.

🚨🚨| A lot of doubts are starting to arise within the club on if Raphinha should've been signed or not.@fansjavimiguel [🥇]
— Managing Barça (@ManagingBarca) October 17, 2022

“I’m not big fan of judging a player’s decisions after one or two months: he’s in a new country, new football, new system, new manager, new club. He needs time,” Romano explained in his column for CaughtOffside.

“He’s a top player in a top club and so I think it’s matter of time for Raphinha to find his feet at Barcelona. Having said that, he would’ve been the perfect kind of player for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, who is a big fan.”

With Bukayo Saka continuing to star for Arsenal and Chelsea reportedly targeting the likes of Rafael Leao of Milan next summer, Raphinha may be forgotten about and is in danger of turning his dream move into a nightmare.