Last Updated: March 8, 2021 7:05 pm
Leeds United star Raphinha has moved to quell speculation surrounding his future, assuring that he is ‘really happy’ in west Yorkshire.
Peacocks stint
Brazilian wide-man Raphinha was of course one of a number of arrivals at Elland Road last summer, on the back of Leeds’ return to the top-flight of English football for the first time since 2004.
The 24-year-old linked up with the Whites from French outfit Stade Rennais, in a deal worth a rumoured £17 million.
And to say that he has since gone on to justify this fee would be putting it lightly.
Raphinha has proven one of the stars of the Premier League campaign to date, lighting up the English football landscape with a stellar combination of quick feet, eye for goal and a penchant for the spectacular.
The latter of these traits was on full display en route to the South American’s latest goal two weeks ago, when Raphinha rattled home a stunning free-kick vs Southampton:
🤯 Something special isn’t he? pic.twitter.com/8JwuWcclFo
— Leeds United (@LUFC) February 24, 2021
‘Everything’s in place’
Amid such fine form, however, has come inevitable outside interest.
Recent weeks have seen a number of the Premier League’s heavyweights named as keen admirers of Leeds’ star winger, with Liverpool and Manchester United rumoured to be at the front of the queue.
In turn, it came as little surprise when, during an interview with Sky Sports on Monday, the former Sporting man was drawn on his current mindset at Elland Road.
And Raphinha’s response is no doubt set to come as music to the ears of the Whites faithful, with the attacker having moved to quash speculation surrounding his future, in assuring that he is ‘really happy’ at the club:
‘The club, all the people who work here, the staff and the players have really helped me develop. I’m really grateful for this and always look to do my best for them all. This creates a bond with everybody here.’
Leeds United’s Raphinha celebrates scoring their side’s third goal of the game during the Premier League match at Elland Road, Leeds. Picture date: Tuesday February 23, 2021. (Photo by Gareth Copley/PA Images via Getty Images)
‘I’m really happy here and feel I’ve adapted well. I think everything’s in place for us to achieve good results working together.’
‘We know that Leeds are a club who belong in the Premier League. We’ll be always looking to keep the club here. We’re also aware that we’re a promoted side that needs to adapt to the league like we’re doing now. Our initial objective is to stay in the top division.’
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This article was edited by Josh Barker.
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table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 17 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 16 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 16 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 13 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 13 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 11 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 8 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City FC | 7 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 7 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 6 |
| Tielemans, Youri | Leicester City FC | 0 | 6 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 0 | 6 |
| Klich, Mateusz | Leeds United | 0 | 6 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 6 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 6 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 6 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 9 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 5 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 5 |
| Neto, Pedro | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 5 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Willian | Arsenal FC | 5 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 4 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
Source: 101greatgoals.com
