Graham Smyth hits out after what’s been said about Leeds and Raphinha
Leeds’ sale of Raphinha was a bittersweet moment for the club.
On the one hand, the Elland Road outfit lost a brilliant player and were relegated the next season, but they got a huge fee of £55million.
The Leeds supporters still love to see Raphinha doing well with his new club, and there is no hard feelings between the parties.
The same cannot be said about Graham Smyth and those who are not reporting the facts around the deal correctly.
Leeds United and Raphinha subject of new claims, Smyth fires back
Leeds’ sale of Raphinha still makes headlines to this day.
A report from the Daily Mail on 21 October claimed that the European giants still owed £36.5million to the Whites.
However, Smyth hit back on X, first posting a popular meme from The Simpsons which says: “Don’t make me tap the sign”.
He then replied to a furious reply, sharing his own frustration with the misreporting, saying: “Barca don’t owe Leeds Andy. That’s why I keep posting that link in my tweet. Barca owe a creditor, Leeds have been paid.
But it keeps being reported that they owe Leeds, by people apparently unable to understand the situation.”
What made Raphinha’s spell at Leeds so magic?
Many Whites supporters were unfamilar with the Brazilian when he came through the doors at Thorp Arch, by the time that he left two years later, he was a global superstar.
He rapidly became a fan favourite with his trickery and his unpredictable nature, regularly bamboozling Premier League defences.
- Raphinha was signed from Rennes in Ligue 1 for a fee of around £17million
- He would depart for Barcelona in a £55m deal, a huge profit of around £38m
He made his debut against Wolves in October 2020 and it was a glimpse of what was to come, as he was electric, and he soon scored his first goal for the club against Everton in November.
He would end his first campaign in LS11 with six goals and nine assists, and his second was even better, despite the Peacocks being in genuine relegation danger.
He notched 11 goals and three assists in 35 matches, including slotting a penalty on the final day against Brentford to ensure his side stayed in the division.
He may have only played for the club for two seasons, but supporters will never forget their ‘Samba Star’.
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