Opinion

Opinion: Leeds United must replicate Aston Villa approach amid fresh transfer speculation

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Image for Opinion: Leeds United must replicate Aston Villa approach amid fresh transfer speculation

Raphinha’s Leeds United performances are drawing huge praise from those in the club, and reports are claiming interest is rising in him.

The Brazillian winger arrived as the final summer signing, coming in on deadline day from Champions League outfit Rennes.

Not many would have expected him to have the impact he’s had at Elland Road when he joined, but he’s shown he’s arguably our most talented player.

Big boys sniffing around

He has four goals and five assists to his name so far, which might not be the most outstanding return for a player of his quality, but what he does each game is far more than in the penalty area.

Driving runs and energy synonymous with Marcelo Bielsa’s style, Raphinha has become a vital player in the system and the go-to man in the Leeds attack.

He’s also seemingly solved the awful return from set-pieces too, with his two assists from corners this season away to Manchester United and Arsenal.

However, with such top performances has come reports linking with a transfer away from the club this summer.

The latest update comes from Italian journalist Gianluca Longari who claims Manchester United have joined Liverpool in pursuit of the 24-year-old.

Leeds must resist

The riches available to Leeds now to sell players to the elite will be something that the club won’t ever have experienced before.

It could be tempting for a club not at the same level financially or in the table to cash in on their best players and stay comfortable in the bottom half.

What you risk there is falling into the trap of becoming a club happy to sell your top talent to the highest bidder, and never build anything meaningful.

Aston Villa are the perfect example of what can be achieved if you don’t do that at the first sign of interest – they tied Jack Grealish down to a new contract and are now pushing them towards Europe after they survived by the skin of their teeth last term.

Do the same with Raphinha and there’s nothing stopping us from building around him and going above and beyond where we’re currently sitting in the top flight.

We don’t think there’s much in the reports linking him with a move away. He’s got three-and-a-half years left on his contract and has a lot to do still to get where he and the club want to be.

However, it’s a good point to emphasise the firm stance that needs to be taken on him to ensure we can grow as Andrea Radrizzani intends to.

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.