"Arrived here and shown why Barcelona wanted him" - Raphinha heaps praise on Blaugrana teammate
Barcelona forward Raphinha is in awe of his new teammate, Dani Olmo. The Brazilian was effusive in his praise of the Spaniard the club signed over the summer.
Dani Olmo arrived in Barcelona from RB Leipzig after a long-drawn transfer saga this summer for a reported fee of €60 million. He is a La Masia graduate, learning his trade at the Barcelona Academy between 2007 and 2014 before moving to Dinamo Zagreb aged just 16. After playing in Croatia for six years, his journey took him to RB Leipzig in 2020.
After impressing for the Bundesliga outfit and establishing himself as a regular with the Spanish side, he moved back to his boyhood club this summer. Since signing, he has impressed his teammates, especially Raphinha who waxes lyrical about him in a recent interview.
Speaking to BarcaOne, the 27-year-old said that Olmo has already shown why the Blaugrana wanted him.
"Dani Olmo has arrived, he is contributing a lot to us and of course we are contributing a lot," Raphinha said.
"Olmo has arrived here and shown why Barcelona wanted him. He came wanting to help the team and the least we can do is help him adapt to the club and that’s all he needed,” the former Leeds United winger added.
The 26-year-old Spain international has already adapted to his new side, scoring twice in the two appearances he has made for the club so far.
Raphinha speaks on how the team is adapting to new Barcelona manger Hansi Flick's tactics
Under new manager Hansi Flick, Barcelona have made an impressive start to the season. They have won all four of their La Liga matches to build an early four-point lead over rivals Real Madrid atop the table.
After an underwhelming last two seasons, Raphinha has stepped up to the plate this term with six-goal contributions in just four matches this season so far. The former Leeds United forward spoke about how the German manager has got them playing like a team, which has resulted in early success.
"I knew that if I wanted to play and be the best version of myself I had to adapt as quickly as possible to the idea of Flick. The truth is that he doesn’t ask me for anything special on an individual level and I don’t think he does that with any player," Raphinha said.
"What he asks is that we are a team and when we attack we all attack, when we press we all press, and when we have to defend we all defend. Only then will we win games," he added.
Raphinha will be back in action with the Catalan club this weekend as they travel to Girona on September 15 in a bid to extend their perfect run.