Leeds United were, unfortunately, relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season after three years at the top table of English football.
The Whites were unable to extend their stay in the top-flight despite the efforts of sporting director Victor Orta, who changed the manager twice throughout the campaign.
Jesse Marsch started the season in charge but the American tactician was dismissed in January of this year and replaced by Javi Gracia, who was later moved on in favour of Sam Allardyce.
Matches
32
Wins
Eight
Defeats
15
Points
33
None of these moves by Orta helped to avoid the drop and some may point back to the sale of Raphinha during the summer of 2022 as the start of their downfall.
Marsch and the Spanish chief cashed in on the Brazil international ahead of the 2022/23 campaign as Barcelona swooped in to secure his services.
How much did Barcelona pay for Raphinha?
The LaLiga giants reportedly agreed a deal worth up to £55m, with an initial £49m without add-ons, to sign the exciting winger after his impressive performances for Leeds over the previous two seasons.
Raphinha revealed that it was a dream come true for him to sign for Barcelona and Sky Sports reported the club were planning for his departure before the Catalan side secured his services.
This suggests that it would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for the Whites to convince the former Rennes ace to remain at Elland Road.
He had given the club two fantastic years of service at Premier League level and helped to keep them in the division, which resulted in big-money interest from elsewhere.
The Whites were able to make a significant profit on the initial £17m that they paid Rennes for the Brazilian maestro back in the summer of 2020.
Therefore, it would be harsh to blame Marsch or Orta for sanctioning his exit as it was a logical one at the time. Denying Raphinha a 'dream' move to Barcelona for a gigantic transfer fee could have turned out to be a disaster if it upset the player and caused his form to dip or he then picked up an injury that devalued him and his performances on the pitch.
The howler was, in fact, how they used that money to replace their star forward as the club splashed the cash to make a number of signings that summer.
Who did Leeds sign ahead of the 2022/23 season?
Leeds brought in the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto, and Luis Sinisterra to bolster their attacking options in the wake of Raphinha's exit.
Orta and Marsch reportedly spent around £25m to sign Aaronson from the American tactician's former club RB Salzburg, whilst they also paid a reported £22.3m to sign Sinisterra from Dutch outfit Feyenoord.
This meant that the Whites spent almost all of the money they were due to receive for Raphinha on those two signings and they failed to replace the impact that the brilliant Brazilian had on the pitch.
The left-footed whiz scored 11 goals and provided three assists in 35 Premier League outings for the club throughout the 2021/22 campaign, which came after he managed six goals and nine assists in 30 league matches during his debut season at Elland Road.
How many goals did Raphinha score for Barcelona last season?
He hit the ground running in Spain and enjoyed a terrific first year with his dream club as the Brazil international racked up ten goals in all competitions.
The 26-year-old wizard, who was once hailed as a "magician" by former teammate Dan James, showcased his ability to provide a consistent threat at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals from out wide.
Raphinha ended the campaign with ten goals and 12 assists in 50 appearances across the Champions League, Supercopa, Europa League, Copa Del Ray, and LaLiga.
He also had a fair reason to be frustrated with his teammates last season as they did not make the most of his creative quality. The former Leeds star created 17 'big chances' and registered 9.35 xA in LaLiga – only to be rewarded with seven assists for his efforts.
This suggests that the talented ace's numbers could have been even better if his fellow attackers were more ruthless and clinical in front of goal.
Nevertheless, the £55m-rated phenomenon enjoyed a fantastic season and, as it turned out, managed to outperform every single Leeds player during the 2022/23 campaign.
Who was Leeds' top scorer last season?
Rodrigo finished last season as the club's top goalscorer in all competitions with 15 strikes to his name, 13 of which came in the Premier League.
The Spaniard outscored Raphinha by five goals but only managed two assists for his teammates. This meant that he was directly involved in 17 goals, in comparison to the Barcelona star's 22.
Aaronson also failed to step up to the mark after his big-money switch from Salzburg as the USA international scored two goals and provided three assists in 41 appearances in all competitions.
Jack Harrison, like Rodrigo, came relatively close to matching Raphinha as the English ace scored six goals and assisted ten for the Yorkshire-based side.
Sinisterra was brought in to bolster Marsch's options out wide and the Colombia international was unable to replicate the Brazilian's impact on the pitch as he contributed with seven goals and one assist in 22 matches.
No other Leeds players scored more than six goals and no one managed more than Harrison's seven Premier League assists for the club last season.
These statistics show that Raphinha outperformed every single Whites player throughout the 2022/23 campaign as the talented dynamo was involved in at least five more goals than all of them.
Therefore, this shows that Marsch and Orta failed to adequately replace the left-footed maestro in the summer of 2022 as they were unable to bring in forwards who could impact the game on a regular basis within the final third.
Their dismal transfer business after Barcelona's swoop for their 5 foot 9 star man left a lot to be desired and, ultimately, contributed to the club's relegation back down to the Championship, which is where they are now whilst Raphinha is playing week-in-week out for a European giant.