Tottenham Hotspur’s signing of Everton and Brazil forward Richarlison has “given [Antonio] Conte a bit of a headache” and has potentially “upset the balance” of his Spurs side.
That is according to journalist Dean Jones, who was speaking to This is Futbol about the latest news from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Richarlison signed for Conte’s side earlier this summer, in a deal which could rise to £60m, to bolster the Lilywhites’ attacking options ahead of the current campaign.
The 36-time Brazil international has started in the last three games for Conte’s side, but his arrival has coincided with a poor run of form for last season’s Premier League’s joint golden boot winner Son Heung-min, who has failed to hit the back of the net so far this season.
And Jones believes that Conte may be feeling under pressure to play Richarlison even if it upsets the balance of the team, due to the money they spent on the forward.
“The big decision is like, can you risk that partnership [Son and Harry Kane], because you’ve signed Richarlison for £50m?
“That signing has given Conte a bit of a headache, and actually might have upset the balance of this team a little bit.”
TIF Thoughts on Jones’ comments
Whilst we agree with Jones’ comments to an extent, we still think that Richarlison will prove to be a useful addition to the Spurs side in the long run.
However, we do think that Conte may have forced a system in which fits the former Everton man best, rather than a system for the better of the team.
Therefore, we believe that the former Chelsea manager needs to discover a system in which he can keep his side’s defensive solidity as well as having that cutting edge using the array of attacking talent he has at his disposal.