'Heroes must fall' - Leeds United fans braced for gut-wrenching impact of key duo's Elland Road exit

Over the last few days, the idea of the pair's departure has become a concrete reality as appealing bids made by Manchester City and Chelsea have been met with contented nods at Elland Road.

While the Elland Road faithful have long foreseen the exits, no suggestion of practicality or inevitability will totally soften the emotional blow of parting ways with the Yorkshire Pirlo and LS11's very own samba star.

In their response to the news of possible transfers, Whites fans have not held back in expressing gratitude.

“Raphinha has brought more flair and skill to Leeds than anyone else in generations, said @Adrian_ALAW. “He could’ve gone to Barca for £25m or Bayern for £50m in winter, but kept us up almost on his own. He’s shown many times his love for the club, and gave up Barca for survival. Support him.”

"We knew the day would come,” said @FM_Fizzy on Twitter, “but losing Phillips and Raphinha is a massive blow. Both will go on to truly show the world what they are about. And it’s been a pleasure that they played for us.”

“Man I'm gonna miss these two. Watching KP run the midfield and Rapha use his magic was a joy to watch. Its a shame we are losing both of them in the window. Nonetheless, Leeds legends forever. Been a pleasure lads,” wrote @LUFCMint.

Time and time again, the pair have changed games with moments of brilliance, with defenders dazzled instances of flair and nigh-impossible quarter-back passes falling sweetly to their targets’ feet to set off another wave of attack – but the upcoming sales will be as much a loss of personality and dedication as talent on the ball.

Over the 12 years of his Leeds career, Phillips has won the hearts of United fanbase by representing the people of his city with a smile, while bullying his opponents off the ball with all the vigour of Don Revie’s men,

Whites fans supporters have borne witness to the Wortley lad's coming of age as he blossomed under the tutelage of former Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa to put West Yorkshire on the map as home to England's Player of the Year after helping to take the Three Lions to the Euro 2020 final.

That the midfielder's extended absence had such a detrimental impact on the Whites' relegation woes last season made it all the sweeter when Phillips celebrated his boyhood club's survival on the final day with a grin as broad as his prospects on the final day of the season.

Meanwhile, Raphinha's labour of love at the Brentford Community Stadium, walking the length of the pitch on his knees, well demonstrates the gravity of Leeds' relegation battle in the winger’s eyes. Despite considerable sustained interest from the clubs across Europe, Raphinha’s focus remained firmly on United and few players showed as much grit in the struggle to avoid the drop as the one who stood to lose the most by running himself into the ground in pursuit of salvation – leaving fans in no doubt as to the depth of his feeling for the club he joined less than two years ago.

The Brazilian's arrival in October 2020 came at the dawn of the Whites' Premier League era and, just as his summer departure will mark a huge moment in Raphinha’s career, so too will it represent a key moment of transition at Elland Road.

The exit of both of the club's biggest stars in one window spells major change in LS11 as a team that have depended heavily on the pair's combined talent will take inspiration from fresh faces next season.

Amid plentiful interest early in the window, the club have been rewarded for holding out for the right price as the sales will furnish them with a budget the likes of which director of football Victor Orta has never seen before.

Leeds have already secured three incomings this window, nabbing Jesse Marsch’s former favourites Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen from the American’s former club RB Salzburg before purchasing a would-be Phillips replacement, Marc Roca, from Bayern Munich.

But with the Whites set to net in excess of one hundred million for their prized duo, Leeds have the spending power to bring in five players for a £17m fee – which is what they paid for Raphinha 2020 – with change to spare, and the Leeds fanbase are thrilled by the sense of possibility that healthy coffers brings, of the sort which has been all but absent from the West Yorkshire side in recent memory.

Taking the edge of their giddiness, though, is the question of how best to re-invest and the big hole that Phillips and Raphinha are due to leave at Elland Road is filled with uncertainty – for now.

“As a Leeds fan, I was resigned to us losing Raphinha and KP,” said @AnnouncerPhil, “and if the reported figures are true then I’d say we’ve done pretty well out of it. The key now is how that money is spent, because it could be huge for the club!”

But the model needs to change, @PeteStones123 believes: “Raphinha and Phillips were brilliant, but we need a squad this season that's not so reliant on talismanic players.”

Meanwhile, @KlichBait feels optimistic about the change: “Heroes must fall for successors to emerge. This is how I look at Phillips and Raphinha. There were many heroes before them and many will follow.”