Leeds United supporters know the pain of missing out on promotion to the Premier League more than most due to their experiences in recent years.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side were knocked out of the play-offs by Derby County in his first season in charge of the Whites, in the 2018/19 campaign, after they finished third in the division – narrowly missing out on automatic promotion to Sheffield United.
They were, of course, promoted the following season and that is a trend that the West Yorkshire outfit will be hoping to repeat this year, after they missed out via the play-offs again last term.
Leeds smashed Norwich City 4-0 in the play-off semi-finals last season only to go on to lose 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley.
The Whites will now hope that they follow in the footsteps of Bielsa’s team by losing in the play-offs before going on to win the Championship title the next season, which they are currently on course to do.
Of course, Bielsa’s side then stayed up in the Premier League in their first year up, which will be the biggest test for Daniel Farke, and the signing of Raphinha played a key role in that.
Raphinha's success at Leeds United
Former sporting director Victor Orta swooped to sign the Brazilian winger from Ligue 1 side Rennes in the summer of 2020 for a fee of £17m, plus add-ons.
That turned out to be a bargain signing from the Leeds chief, who left the club in the summer of 2023, as Raphinha hit the ground running at Elland Road, and in the Premier League.
Appearances
30
Goals
6
Big chances created
12
Key passes per game
2.1
Assists
9
Dribbles completed per game
1.9
As you can see in the table above, the Brazil international racked up a goal contribution every other game on average in his 30 outings in the 2020/21 campaign.
Raphinha proved that he had the quality to deliver goals and assists for the Whites on a regular basis in the top-flight, which played a key role in them avoiding relegation.
The left-footed magician then scored 11 goals and provided three assists in 35 appearances for the Whites in the following season, helping the club to survive for a second year running – with Jesse Marsch at the helm that time.
Raphinha was pivotal to their success in the Premier League because he provided a reliable presence at the top end of the pitch, with his ability to score and create at an impressive rate in comparison to his positional peers.
Non-penalty goals
0.22
Top 16%
Non-penalty xG
0.22
Top 10%
Expected Assisted Goals
0.23
Top 6%
Assists
0.09
Top 42%
Shot-creating actions
4.20
Top 7%
As you can see in the table above, the Brazil international ranked incredibly highly as both a scorer and a creator of chances in the division under Bielsa and Marsch that term.
Spanish giants Barcelona then swooped in to secure his services for a reported fee of £55m in the summer of 2022, and Leeds went on to be relegated the following season without his attacking talents on the flank.
The Whites needed his skills to survive the last time they were in the Premier League, and they may need another mercurial talent on the wing to survive this time under Farke – should the current team earn promotion to the top-flight.
Chalkboard
Despite his previous struggles in the top division, the German head coach may have unearthed the club’s new version of Raphinha in Welsh forward Dan James, who has been in fantastic form over the past 18 months or so.
Why Dan James could be Raphinha 2.0
As aforementioned, Leeds needed the Brazilian magician’s quality as both a scorer and a creator to help them avoid relegation back down to the Championship in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns.
James has only produced 12 goals and 12 assists in 106 matches in the top-flight for Manchester United, Fulham, and Leeds combined, but his improved output in the final third under Farke suggests that the potential is there for him to step up and be the main man for the club.
The Wales international, who pundit Sanny Rudravajhala described as “electric” last season, stepped up to the Premier League in 2019 after a return of four goals and nine assists for Swansea in the 2018/19 campaign.
This time, James would be moving up to the top table off the back of a return of 23 goals and 16 assists in the Championship since the start of last term, which shows that he has improved his end product in front of goal.
The hope, therefore, is that the winger will improve his output in the final third in the Premier League because it has improved in the second tier.
He has added more consistency to his game, hence his superb return of goals and assists, and that could help him to be a difference-maker at the top level, which Leeds will need in their bid to avoid relegation – should they get there in the first place.
Non-penalty goals
0.40
Top 6%
Non-penalty xG
0.37
Top 8%
Assists
0.36
Top 5%
Expected Assisted Goals
0.38
Top 2%
Shot-creating actions
3.47
Top 24%
As you can see in the table above, James ranks incredibly highly among his positional peers in the Championship this season for both scoring and creating goals, which speaks to how effective he has been under Farke’s management.
This suggests, therefore, that the German head coach may have unearthed his own version of Raphinha, as the Welsh star has become a reliable figure at the top end of the pitch from a wide position.
Whilst James is a different type of winger, as he is a right-footed forward on the right rather than a left-footed one, the £50k-per-week star has shown that he can score and assist goals on a regular basis – like the Brazilian did for Leeds.
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Hopefully, the former Red Devils speedster will also be able to show a better version of himself in the Premier League next season, and keep the Whites in the division, if promotion is secured this year.
