Coventry City have completed their first signing of the summer as Australian winger Raphael Borges Rodrigues joins the club for an undisclosed fee from MacArthur FC, but what can their fans expect?
The 20-year-old enjoyed a promising 2023/24 campaign in the Australian top flight and has now earned a move to England after Coventry beat SPFL giants Rangers to his signature, signing a four-year contract at the CBS Arena.
However, his inexperience has left some Sky Blues fans questioning what they can expect from the winger ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, so here is what you can expect…
Where will he feature for the Sky Blues?
In the A-League, Borges Rodrigues has featured mainly as a left winger which is where Haji Wright was located during the previous campaign, although Wright isn’t naturally a winger.
However, the 20-year-old is also able to play on the right-hand side, providing further competition for Japanese playmaker Tatsuhiro Sakamoto.
With Mark Robins operating with wingers towards the closing stages of last season, Borges Rodrigues is almost certainly going to provide competition in those areas rather than play through the middle.
How did he fair statistically?
In total, the 20-year-old made 25 league appearances last season in Australia, scoring four goals and providing two additional assists. His final goal for the club arrived in March as he scored the winner in a 2-1 victory against Brisbane Roar.
In what was his first full senior campaign, Borges Rodrigues provided several eye-catching statistics which likely explain why the Sky Blues opted to sign him.
He averaged 2.3 successful dribbles per 90 minutes as well as winning two fouls per game which suggests he isn’t afraid to take players on, which will be music to the ears of Sky Blues fans.
Similarly, he also managed five ball recoveries and 6.47 duel wins per 90 minutes which shows that Borges Rodrigues isn’t afraid to do the defensive work when required.
What have the MacArthur fans said?
Speaking to MacArthur fan Dan (@THFC_Dan_ on Twitter), he stated…
‘Fast player, plenty of natural talent, very good dribbler. Heaps of flair to him as well.’
Meanwhile, another fan on Twitter (@Aussie_Lakers) stated…
‘A bit raw but a lot of talent got ball control and speed but needs to work on his finishing but a great prospect.’
This suggests to me that Borges Rodrigues has plenty of raw talent but needs to work on his consistency and that will come with a larger exposure to game time and a higher level of quality. This is something he will gain by playing in England.
At 20 years old and already having the likes of Coventry and Rangers chasing him, the ceiling is certainly high for Borges Rodrigues and it will be exciting to see how he flares under Mark Robins next season.