Newcastle United were moments away from pulling off a famous victory over Paris Saint Germain until Szymon Marciniak awarded a dubious penalty, allowing Kylian Mbappe to level in the eighth and final minute of added time.
Although the Magpies were cruelly denied all three points, which would have changed the complexion of their Champions League hopes completely, the spirit and determination of their performance are attributes that have formed the backbone of their success since Eddie Howe took charge.
The English side are currently going through an injury crisis and this was evident on Tuesday night as the Toon boss was forced into naming a bench consisting of two goalkeepers and three academy players.
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Whilst this makes their display all the more impressive, it has accentuated the need for further investment in upcoming windows and one player Howe could splash the cash on is Barcelona star Raphinha to replace Miguel Almiron.
Newcastle transfer news – Raphinha
According to a report from Football Insider last week, several Premier League clubs, including Newcastle, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool could swoop for the former Leeds United maverick next summer.
With Barcelona's finances far from secure, it is possible that the Spanish giants could accept a cut-price deal for the Brazilian, as per the report.
After leaving Elland Road for a reported £55m last year, it is claimed that stumping up £40m could be enough to prise him back to the Premier League at the end of the current campaign.
Given the long-term injury to midfield maestro, Gavi, it is highly unlikely that Barcelona would part ways with Raphinha in January, however, Newcastle should do everything in their power to lure the 26-year-old to St James' Park.
The fleet-footed right winger, who wreaked havoc on defences in England's top flight, would be an exceptional upgrade on their current Paraguayan metronome.
The statistics that show Raphinha would be an upgrade on Miguel Almiron
When he was at Leeds, Raphinha was hailed as a "magician" by former teammate Dan James after plundering 17 goals and supplying 12 assists in 67 appearances for Leeds, while also earning praise from Magpies legend Alan Shearer, who was previously left "impressed" by the forward (Amazon Prime, 03/04/2021, 17:09):
"He is very good on the ball. What impressed me also was his work rate, his ability to get back and help out, do his bit defensively as well."
Whilst his Leeds record wasn't the most prolific return for someone who set Barcelona back £55m, the total of assists he produced for the Whites is more than Almiron has for Newcastle in 117 fewer games, with the 29-year-old posting just ten assists in 184 appearances so far.
Although he's currently out of favour under Xavi at Barca having started just twice in La Liga this season, he's still chalked up a respectable 12 goals and 15 assists in 63 appearances for the Catalan club to date.
Not only that but he's also eclipsed Almiron across several attacking metrics in the past year and that suggests he'd be an upgrade on the Toon fan favourite.
Statistics
Raphinha (Barcelona)
Almiron (Newcastle)
Non-penalty goals
0.33
0.23
Shots total
3.66
2.11
Shot creating actions
4.49
3.12
Progressive carries
3.78
3.20
Expected Assists (xA)
0.39
0.11
Passes into the pen area
2.70
1.24
Touches (Att pen)
4.99
4.06
All stats via FBref
As delineated by the table above, Raphinha's threat in the final third is much greater than Almiron's and this is especially demonstrated by the number of touches he's making in the penalty area and the total shots he's unleashing off his wand of a left foot.
During his stint in the Premier League, the Brazilian could conjure up a moment of brilliance when his side needed it most and although his Newcastle counterpart scored in the Champions League victory over PSG, those moments have been few and far between for the Paraguayan.
This is backed up by his measly goal record of three goals and one assist in 18 appearances for the Toon this term, whilst Raphinha has served up the name number of goal contributions in 649 fewer minutes.
Although Newcastle are the division's second-highest scorers, behind only Manchester City, it's the finer details – like replacing Almiron with Raphina – that can take the North East giants to even greater heights.