Brazilian winger Raphinha finally got his move to Barcelona last week after weeks and weeks of different clubs trying to sign him.
A host of English clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham had all tried at some point to sign the then Leeds Untied winger, who had made it clear his future lie away from Elland Road. Leeds, to their credit, dug their heels when it came to the fee and eventually relented, cashing in over £50m for a player they paid just £17m for two years back.
And while Barcelona might have always been Raphinha’s dream move, he could have joined one of those aforementioned clubs if he’d wished. One of those, Tottenham, were said to have offered a player-plus-cash offer for Raphinha, according to The Athletic.
However, per The Athletic’s report, Spurs withdrew from the race and there were fears from the Leeds and that Raphinha and those in his camp didn’t want the move to Tottenham anyway. It’s claimed there was a fear from Raphinha that Antonio Conte would use him as a wing-back, a role he simply doesn’t want to do.
Conte, of course, demands complete buy-in from his players. Tottenham, then, might have actually got away one in not signing Raphinha if that was indeed Conte’s plan.
TBR’s View: Raphinha Was Never Going To Tottenham
While there might have been a time when the deal looked likely here, realistically, Tottenham were always going to be a long-shot for Raphinha.
The ‘amazing’ Brazilian would have done well with Spurs, but as mentioned above, it might have had to be at wing-back and if his heart wasn’t in that role, it would have shone through.
Conte wants all his players 100% behind everything he does. With that, Raphinha has probably got what he wanted in signing for Barcelona.
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