Is Raphinha good enough to replace Dembele? Analysed

It is reported that Barcelona are on the cusp of signing Leeds United forward Raphinha. The Brazilian will likely come as a replacement for Ousmane Dembele, who is on the verge of leaving Camp Nou on free agency.

They are quite similar players, both right forwards who rely on their technique and pace to provide a threat. Their heat maps show both play rather wide but Raphinha tends to drift centrally occasionally.

Dembouz has had a big impact at Barcelona since January, providing 13 assists so far this season. Is Raphinha good enough to fill the Ousmane-sized gap at Barca? Let's compare their key stats.

(All numbers via Sofascore, data from league games only)

Analysis

At first glance, Dembele is a better player than Raphinha as the Frenchman beats the Brazilian on most stats. But it's a bit more difficult than this.

First of all, Raphinha scores more goals. His 10 strikes account for 25% of all goals Leeds scored in the Premier League. His finishing is quite good and he is a threat cutting inside from the right-hand side.

The same could not be said of Dembele because he's a different player. He operates more as a playmaker, creating opportunities for his teammates rather than trying to score himself.

Raphinha still can create though. 3 assists and 9 big chances created are good numbers for a poor Leeds side. He could've had more but Leeds lost their top scorer Patrick Bamford to injury. He makes fewer key passes than Dembele (1.9 vs 2.3 per game) but the difference is small.

Raphinha trails Dembele by successful dribbles though. Dembouz is one of the best dribblers in the game so if he leaves, this is something we would really miss from him. But the Leeds forward's numbers are not that bad, either.

In terms of defensive contribution, the players are quite similar. They could be useful in pressing and are moderately good at winning the ball back.

Verdict

It doesn't look like one player is much better than the other. Raphinha scores more goals while Dembele makes more assists. The Frenchman is also a better dribbler, but that's where major differences end.

Raphinha is not much worse than Dembele at playmaking and his numbers should go up if he joins Barca, a superior team that scores a lot more goals than Leeds.

So, is Raphinha good enough to replace Dembouz? The answer is an emphatic yes.