Evaluating the transfer business so far of the Premier League’s top six, Paul Merson offered his verdict on Tottenham Hotspur signing Richarlison.
The North London club recently signed Richarlison from Everton for a reported fee of £60 million. The Brazilian sits alongside Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, and, most recently, Clement Lenglet as players to arrive at Spurs this summer.
With a total of five signings, it’s fair to say that Spurs have had quite a busy summer so far. But Merson isn’t convinced by Richarlison’s arrival, however, saying in his Sportskeeda column:
“Tottenham have had a very good transfer window so far. I’m not too sure about Richarlison, and I’d play Kulusevski ahead of him. They’re in the Champions League and have more games to play this season, so in that sense, Richarlison ticks a box.”
Richarlison comes in with plenty of competition for places to gain a starting place. In front of the forward in the pecking order is currently Harry Kane. The England international is the main man at Spurs and managed to maintain an impressive record of goals last season, scoring 27 in all competitions.
TIF Thoughts on Richarlison…
With Kane in front of him, Richarlison may be forced to wait for his chance to lead the line at Spurs. Meanwhile, Son Heung-min comes into next season off the back of a Golden Boot-winning campaign last time out, meaning that he is incredibly unlikely to be displaced.
Finishing the trio if Dejan Kulusevski, who made a good start to life at Spurs in the second half of last season, scoring five goals and assisting a further eight in the Premier League.
So, when looking at Spurs’ strongest 11, Richarlison may not necessarily break into Antonio Conte’s direct plans from the off, potentially creating doubt over his £60 million move.