The Lilywhites have been linked with a January transfer window move for the Brazil international.
Tottenham Hotspur had a fantastic start to the 2023/24 season, thanks in large part to the signing of James Maddison, who struck the ground running in London.
Ange Postecoglou took advantage of Leicester City‘s relegation to the Championship by signing the England international for a reputed sum of £40 million.
Maddison didn’t take long to adjust to life at Tottenham, as the fantastic attacking midfielder registered two assists in his Premier League debut against Brentford on the first day.
He has started 11 Premier League games for Tottenham this season, with three goals, five assists, and six ‘big chances’ created, as well as 2.9 critical passes per game.
However, the former Leicester City player injured his ankle against Chelsea earlier this month and will now be sidelined until January.
While Postecoglou’s return at the start of 2024 is expected to improve his confidence, the Australian head coach might also aim to bring in a player who can have a similar impact at the top of the pitch by signing reported transfer target Raphinha.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news – Raphinha
Tottenham have a ‘solid’ interest in the Barcelona attacker ahead of the January transfer window, according to a report from FootballTransfers earlier this month.
The outlet also claimed that the Spanish side is willing to sell him for a fee in the range of €70 million (£61 million), and that they are searching for funds to help them with their financial issues.
Barcelona is rumoured to be interested in Cristian Romero, but a swap deal may not be possible due to their need for money rather than a player-plus-cash agreement.
Spurs have also been put off by Brentford‘s assessment of England international Ivan Toney in the club’s pursuit for a natural number nine to lead the line following Harry Kane’s summer move to Bayern Munich, according to the source.
However, FootballTransfer said that Postecoglou feels Heung-min Son has the ability to continue in the center-forward position until the conclusion of the season, which means there is no need to bring in a striker during the January transfer window.
Instead, they might recruit Raphinha from Barcelona to bolster their attacking options and bring in a man who can play with the South Korean international.
The Brazilian ace is a fantastic creator from a right flank position and he could be a lethal companion for Son at the top end of the pitch during the second half of the season, which is why Spurs should make a move for him at the start of next year.
Son’s Season in numbers
Tottenham‘s captain has had a fantastic start to the 2023/24 season and has been allowed the freedom of the midfield since Kane’s departure.
Instead of playing out wide or alongside England’s captain, the £190,000-per-week sensation has thrived as Spurs’ key player in the final third.
Son has eight goals and one assist in 12 Premier League games since Postecoglou’s arrival, demonstrating that the seasoned attacker has been a consistent scorer for the head coach thus far.
In reality, the 31-year-old superstar has only missed one ‘big chance’ while scoring eight times with an xG (Expected Goals) of 4.61. This demonstrates that he has been quite clinical in front of goal and has taken advantage of the opportunities that have come his way.
This season, he ranks in the top 18% of Premier League attackers for non-penalty goals (0.74) per 90 minutes, but ranking in the bottom 46% for non-penalty xG (0.42) per 90 minutes.
Son, on the other hand, scored ten goals from 10.08 xG and missed nine ‘great opportunities’ in 36 Premier League games for Tottenham during the 2022/23 season.
These data indicate that the South Korean dynamo has improved his goal-scoring form this season, as he is on track to surpass last season’s total and is now surpassing his xG significantly, when he was on par with it prior to Postecoglou’s arrival.
His outstanding finishing shows that the former Bayer Leverkusen star may thrive alongside another player who can consistently generate huge chances for him, which Raphinha could accomplish given on his previous performances for both Barcelona and Leeds.
Raphinha may thrive with Son, according to the statistics.
The Catalan giants signed the left-footed wizard, who primarily plays on the right side of the attack, from Leeds at the start of last season.
Raphinha has nine goals, eight assists, and 19 ‘great opportunities’ produced in 28 LaLiga starts for Xavi’s side since moving to Spain.
He has received eight assists from 10.49 xA (Expected Assists), implying that his teammates have let him down at times by not capitalising on his ingenuity.
His teammates at Leeds similarly failed to capitalise on the chances he was able to produce at Premier League level. The 26-year-old star has already shown his worth in English football, as his statistics with the Whites demonstrate.
Raphinha created 22 ‘huge opportunities’ for his teammates in 60 Premier League starts, but was only rewarded with 12 assists and 17 goals of his own.
The former Rennes prodigy, who was previously dubbed “unplayable” by AllLeedsTV host Oscar Marrio, has demonstrated an exceptional capacity to produce ‘big chances’ over the last three-and-a-half seasons, as evidenced by the aforementioned statistics, and has proven himself in England and Spain.
Raphinha, at 0.40 xAG (Expected Assisted Goals) per 90, is in the top 3% of his positional peers throughout the Men’s Big Five League and European competitions over the last 365 days.
This shows that the 26-year-old maestro is one of the most creative players in his position in the major European leagues, which might allow him to thrive alongside Son.
The Spurs captain, who has shown off his finishing abilities this season, might benefit from Raphinha‘s ability to consistently present his teammates with ‘big chances’ and high xG possibilities, and they could combine to form a lethal duo for Spurs in the final third.
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