Xavi responds to criticism of Raphinha
Xavi on Raphinha’s time at the club
Barcelona manager Xavi has described Raphinha to be the ‘future’ of the club. In the meanwhile, he also denied any rumors suggesting that the winger’s time at Camp Nou might be running out.
The Catalans signed Raphinha from Leeds United last summer in a deal worth €58m plus add-ons.
Time at Leeds United
In the Premier League, Raphinha impressed despite playing for a newly promoted and struggling Leeds. His 11 goals in 35 games helped the club avoid relegation. His heroics attracted major interest from the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal, however, the Brazilian followed the footsteps of his agent Deco whom himself played for Barcelona.
Life in Barcelona
Despite completing his dream move, the winger hasn’t had the best of starts at Camp Nou. Apart from scoring the only goal in the opening friendly game of the season against Real Madrid in Vegas, the winger is yet to establish his place in the starting eleven. He has often popped in with a goal here and there but has rarely played the full 90.
Out of his 10 starts this season, four have been post the World Cup break. Nevertheless, things might be changing for the better as Raphinha played a key role in Barca’s win over Real Betis on Wednesday.
Earlier in the Transfer window, the Gunners showed significant interest in the Brazilian especially after losing out on Mudryk. But Xavi was quick to turn down the rumors of an exit.
Xavi’s opinion
In the post-match interview after the match against Betis, the Catalan manager said, “We will always support Raphinha — he’s the future of Barcelona. He’s a criticized player, but he does a lot and we value Raphinha a lot.”
Currently, Barca are exactly halfway into the season with 19 games played. Moreover, they even hold a five-point lead over rivals Real Madrid in second place.
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