Douglas Costa: What could he bring to Leeds United and how does he compare to Raphinha?

The hype surrounding current Elland Road wide man Raphinha has begun to gain real momentum in recent weeks, and despite the player only arriving in England over the summer, Football Insider claim that Jurgen Klopp’s ailing champions Liverpool could be tempted into launching a raid for the 24-year-old.

With that in mind, the meticulous Marcelo Bielsa is already said to be looking for potential replacements for the former Rennes man, and that’s where Costa comes in.

According to Fichajes, the 30-year-old is the Argentine's preferred option – or as they put it, albeit in somewhat melodramatic terms, his “chosen one”.

Costa is said to be top of Bielsa’s wishlist, and a cursory glance at his CV hints at an abundance of pedigree.

Currently on loan at Bayern Munich from Juventus, the winger has spent his time alternating between the two clubs in recent seasons, and has amassed 31 caps for his country in the process.

But beyond the glitz and glamour of his resume, what would he offer Leeds United were a deal to come off?

We’ve taken a closer look at Costa to see what he’s got in his locker, and how he measures up compared to his compatriot, Raphinha.

Is Costa a goal threat?

One of the most pleasing aspects of Raphinha’s debut season at Elland Road has been his tendency to chip in with a strike or two.

The 24-year-old has scored four goals in 16 Premier League matches so far, with important contributions against the likes of Newcastle United and Everton.

Since joining the Whites, he has averaged one goal every 293 minutes in the top flight – roughly one every three-and-a-half matches.

On first inspection, it would appear that Costa is having a much leaner season with Bayern, and his tally of one goal in 11 Bundesliga outings is initially quite alarming.

Delve a little deeper into those figures, however, and it turns out that the Brazilian has started just three of those matches, and has totalled just 314 minutes this term, giving him a goals-per-minute ratio that is only slightly worse than Raphinha’s.

But that's not to say that he’s flawless by any means.

As per Wyscout, Costa’s xG per game this season has been just 0.08, whereas Raphinha’s has been 0.25.

The Bayern loanee has clearly struggled to force the issue in dangerous areas this term, and even when he has managed to get himself into promising positions, his quality of finishing has left a little to be desired.

In total, Costa has managed just 13 efforts on goal this term, with an average shot accuracy of 30.8%. That levels out at 1.46 efforts per 90 minutes.

By comparison, Raphinha is averaging 2.66 shots per 90 minutes, and his shooting accuracy is 5.4% higher.

Taking into consideration that fact that Costa has never hit double figures in a single season either, and it’s probably fair to argue that he lacks a real cutting edge in front of goal.

Does Costa create chances?

Again, Raphinha has impressed with his ability to lay on assists for his teammates at Elland Road this season, and his tally of four and counting in the Premier League is not to be sniffed at.

First impressions would suggest, however, that this should be an area in which Costa redeems himself a little.

The 30-year-old has registered 97 assists in 431 career appearances, a rate of one every 4.44 matches.

In contrast, Raphinha has 30 in 195 senior outings – a rate of one assist every 6.5 games.

To his credit, Costa has contributed a fair amount in that sense this season as well, despite his limited opportunities.

Across all competitions he has three assists for Bayern, including two in the Champions League, and has averaged 0.34 per 90 minutes. Again, if we compare that figure to Raphinha’s equivalent statistic, Costa is better off by 0.11 per outing.

Elsewhere, the 30-year-old marginally edges his compatriot in terms of the amount of shots he assists per game, and his pass completion rate has been better by just under 7% this term.

Granted, he plies his trade for a side who place a much greater emphasis on possession retention – Bayern have averaged nearly 100 passes per game more than Leeds this season – but a closer look at the numbers also speaks to the quality of Costa’s distribution.

The winger has a pass completion rate of 83.3% when playing balls into the final third this season, as well as a completion rate of 80% when playing forward passes in general.

Both of those figures are notably higher than Raphinha's, with the Leeds man failing to average over 67.5% in either.

What is Costa like on the ball?

One of the strongest arguments in Raphinha’s favour when discussing his passing is that it’s not the most obvious or dangerous facet of his game.

The Brazilian is without question, however, a thrilling ball-carrier.

In fact, according to Whoscored, nobody in Leeds’ squad has made more dribbles per game than the 24-year-old this season.

But again, a closer reading of the stats would suggest that Costa is no slouch when it comes to running with the ball either.

The Brazilian has averaged two dribbles per match more than his countryman this term, and his completion rate, somewhat surprisingly, is 6.3% better too.

Even without the ball, Costa has made 1.65 more progressive runs than Raphinha per game since the beginning of 2020/21.

Given the emphasis that Bielsa places on his attacking players to provide options for the man on the ball, and in particular, the tendency Leeds have to hit those searching diagonals from Kalvin Phillips’ deep-lying midfield role into wide areas, the Bayern loanee looks as if he could adapt fairly well to the Whites’ system based on the natural traits and habits that he clearly has in his game.

Of course, in an ideal world, Bielsa and his staff won’t have to go looking for a suitable replacement for Raphinha anytime soon.

But, if the worst comes to the worst and this season’s breakout star is lured away from Elland Road, Douglas Costa looks as if he has enough to quality plug that gap he would leave – even if he doesn’t offer the same threat in front of goal.