Winners and losers of Raphinha joining Chelsea
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
- 4 min read
Chelsea are in advanced negotiations with Brazilian winger Raphinha as they seek to add the Leeds star to their ranks.
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The only thing left to complete in order for the deal to go through is personal terms with Raphinha himself.
But, with Raphinha arriving at Stamford Bridge, who are the winners and losers from the deal?
Winner - Raphinha
Well, the first winner of the move is unsurprisingly Raphinha. The Brazilian has been the standout figure for Leeds since arriving in Yorkshire, and will finally be given the chance to test himself at an elite club.
He showed signs of real encouragement at Rennes, and this continued at Elland Road, but now comes the real test.
Playing Champions League football will no doubt be a goal ticked off, and he'll form part of a team capable of challenging for trophies on four different fronts.
It will require an adaption period away from being the main man, but Raphinha will benefit hugely from the step up.
Loser - Ousmane Dembele
Raphinha's move from Leeds to Chelsea will mean that Ousmane Dembele won't be reunited with Thomas Tuchel. Both Raphinha and Dembele play their best football off the right flank, and with a plethora of options at Chelsea, including the arriving Raheem Sterling, there won't be room for the Frenchman.
Of course, he could continue to thrive at Barcelona, but this takes a move to Chelsea off the table in all likelihood. The chance to play under Tuchel again won't be realised this summer.
Winner - Daniel James
With Raphinha moving on, it will allow Daniel James to finally feature regularly as a winger at Leeds.
Due to injury problems for Patrick Bamford and the form of Raphinha and Jack Harrison, James played a vast number of minutes through the middle last season.
That doesn't suit his skillset, and with Raphinha moving on, he can slot nicely into the position the Brazilian played. New signing Brendon Aaronson is expected to play behind a striker, rather than as a direct replacement for Raphinha, allowing James the opportunity to shine off the right.
Loser - Jesse Marsch
While James will benefit from his team-mate's exit, his manager certainly will not. Even with Raphinha's brilliance last year, Leeds only scraped survival on the final day of the season, and without the Brazilian, staying up will be even trickier.
With Kalvin Phillips also departing, it will heap the pressure on Jesse Marsch to keep them up, but he may not have the talent to do so. The Elland Road side won't be able to rely on a moment of magic from Raphinha next year, and that could prove very problematic for Marsch.
Winner - Todd Boehly
So far this summer, Todd Boehly hasn't added the signings he promised Chelsea fans. A 'war-chest' was supposedly available to Tuchel this transfer window, but that hasn't been seen yet.
However, a statement signing like Raphinha signals the American billionaire's intentions at Chelsea. To ward off attention from Arsenal will have been a sweet moment for Blues fans, and Boehly has acted on Tuchel's wishes.
Building a legacy like the one created by Roman Abramovich won't be an easy task, but this isn't a bad way to start.
Loser - Hakim Ziyech
Chelsea had a surplus of attackers during the 2021/22 season, and by adding Raphinha, someone has to lose out.
The one most likely to depart is Hakim Ziyech, who is a very similar player to the Leeds man. They are both left-footed inverted wingers with creativity and progression at the forefront of their mind.
They'll only be space for one in the squad, and it seems as though Ziyech will be sold, most likely to AC Milan.
