After months of speculation, Barcelona finally reached an agreement with Leeds United for the signing of winger Raphinha on Wednesday.
The Brazil international arrives on a five-year deal from Leeds and marks the first major piece of spending that Barcelona have undertaken since the signing of Antoine Griezmann in 2019.
Catalan radio station RAC1 got in touch with Leeds’ Spanish goalkeeper Kiko Casilla to find out exactly what kind of player Barcelona are signing.
“In training, when he was shooting, I didn’t bother diving,” Casilla chuckled.
“He’s a player that likes to training and practicing a lot, and free-kicks are something he practices a lot.”
Mundo Deportivo covered the quotes, with Casilla going on to highlight Raphinha’s versatility, close control and work-rate in defence too.
“I am of the mind that if he plays as he has done for Leeds and for Brazil, he could be a very important player for Barca,” Casilla summarised.
Certainly Barcelona seemed have secured an excellent player. With President Joan Laporta confirming that Barcelona would also be re-signing Ousmane Dembele, the debate can begin about whether both are necessary. Although both wingers can operate on the left, both are far more comfortable from the right side, as is Ferran Torres. It remains to be seen how Xavi Hernandez uses them, but it’s worth wondering if they might have used their resources to strengthen other areas.
The money we wasted on Ferran Torres was “the first major piece of spending that Barcelona have undertaken since the signing of Antoine Griezmann in 2019.”
We haven’t fully paid for Ferran.I’ll be paid if five years installments
Barcelona we are bigger clubs of they’re world’s best
First Raphinha and now Lewandowski.Who said that Barcelona don’t have money