Raphinha has no doubts Leeds United is where he can achieve everything he wants to in football amid increasing speculation around his future.
The Brazil international has continued the mesmerising form of his first season in England with even more influential displays for the Whites this term.
After five goals in 10 Premier League appearances in a team which is currently fourth from bottom of the division, Raphinha’s emergence is not going unnoticed at the biggest clubs in Europe.
And yet, amid the Champions League noise from agent Deco, the 24-year-old has told BBC Radio Leeds he can achieve his career’s ambitions at Elland Road.
Asked whether he can achieve everything he wants to with Leeds, Raphinha said: “Without a doubt.
“When you bring together players with a real, strong, winning desire together with the manager, the coaching staff, fans who love the club, you create a wonderful atmosphere in the stadium and at the training ground.
“Marcelo Bielsa demands a lot of us. We know that. We’re used to it. We listen to him. He helps us develop and evolve as players, as professionals.
“We listen to him and we play his style of football. That’s the football that has put us, that has given us attention in the Premier League, made us stand out in the Premier League and made Leeds a Premier League team.”
After a tiny taste of what Elland Road can deliver on the final day of last season, Raphinha has finally sampled the real thing in 21/22.
He already feels he understands exactly what the fan base is all about.
“Leeds should never have left the Premier League,” he said. “When you take that together with the fans, who love the club, these fans deserve to be in the Premier League and us as players, the least we can do is repay this love from the fans and get the results the team and the fans deserve.”
Raphinha also confirmed he had fully recovered from the illness which kept him out of Sunday’s Tottenham Hotspur loss.
