Making sense of Tottenham's interest in Everton forward Richarlison

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 13 Jun 2022 10:36 BST
• 4 min read

Tottenham have been eyeing up a move for Everton forward Richarlison this summer as they look to boost their forward ranks ahead of a busy season.

The Lilywhites secured Champions League football on the final day of last season and need to improve their squad ahead of competing on four fronts in the upcoming campaign.

They’ve managed to convince Antonio Conte to stay and are set to have a busy summer, eager to let the Italian know he made the right choice in committing his future to the club.

With that, they’ve made Richarlison one of their primary targets and are eager to complete a move this summer, with some reports suggesting it could cost upwards of £51 million.

It seems strange that Tottenham would want to fork out so much money on a player that’s probably not going to replace anyone in their starting eleven, but there would be obvious advantages of signing the Brazilian.

What would Richarlison bring to Tottenham?

Richarlison is a player with proven Premier League experience and is a regular Brazil international – he would provide great cover for any of their forward options in Harry Kane, Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski.

The Everton man has played the past season mostly down the middle, but has also played a few games down the left, showing his quality in both in a rather poor Toffees’ side.

The 25-year-old also has great energy off the ball, showing why Conte would have an interest in him – he defends from the front, committing an average of 1.4 tackles per 90 minutes, higher than any Spurs forward last season.

Everton were poor last season, battling relegation until the tail end of the season, so for Richarlison to chip in with 10 league goals is a fine return as Frank Lampard’s (and Rafa Benitez’s) side were hardly the most creative.

In his time at Everton, Richarlison has managed at least 10 goals in all four campaigns (across all competitions), which is a fair record for a team largely inconsistent during his time at Goodison Park.

In his time with Brazil, he has also proven to be a consistent goalscorer and manager Tite has become a fan: Richarlison has scored 14 goals in 36 appearances for the Selecao, including four in four in 2022.

It’s hard to imagine a Brazil squad where Richarlison isn’t selected, regardless of how poor Everton have been, and he should be on the plane to the World Cup in Qatar as well later this year.

Should he move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he’s likely to be there to provide additional support to the duo supporting Kane, and he would be a fine addition in that regard.

There are obvious benefits for the player as well: he’ll finally get his first taste of Champions League football and be playing under one of the game’s elite coaches in Conte.

For the club, it’s a hefty investment, but seeing as he’s 25, he will be a fine long-term solution and could be a smart signing for them, one that could contribute for years to come.

Fabio Paratici is known for being a stern negotiator, so he’s probably going to make a big push for the player and attempt to get the price down if Richarlison is believed to be one of Tottenham’s core priorities this summer.