Leeds star will have breathed a 'sigh of relief' that Bielsa has been sacked

Dean Jones has claimed that Leeds United star Raphinha will probably have breathed “a sigh of relief” over Marcelo Bielsa’s sacking.

The Elland Road hierarchy parted company with the popular Argentine at the weekend following their recent poor run of games.

Raphinha has been one of Leeds’ standout players since his move to Elland Road from Rennes in the summer of 2020.

However, the Brazilian has struggled in recent weeks, and Bielsa opted to take him off at half time against Everton.

It wasn’t exactly an unjustified decision, as Raphinha was very much a passenger at Goodison Park.

Bielsa then left the 25-year-old out of the Leeds starting XI against Manchester United, though he did bring him on at the break.

Raphinha went on to play the full 90 minutes against Liverpool and Spurs.

Despite quickly returning to the starting fold, Jones feels Bielsa’s exit will have been a weight off Raphinha’s shoulders.

He told GiveMeSport: “I think for Raphinha too; it’s a sigh of relief almost for him.

“Because for whatever reason, Bielsa was leaving him out of the team, and it was very strange.”

New position for Raphinha?

Leeds Live recently speculated that Raphinha could be getting a new role under Marsch.

The American – who favours a 4-2-2-2 formation – does not tend to utilise out-and-out, traditional wingers.

At Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig, Marsch used the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Emil Forsberg and Dominik Szoboszlai as his advanced midfielders.

So there’s a possibility that Raphinha could either become a nominal No. 10 or line up as one of two centre-forwards.

This shouldn’t be an issue, however – over the course of his career, Raphinha has also played as a No. 10, a second striker and a centre-forward.