Richarlison hijack: The truth on Chelsea and Arsenal
FT Desk
- 25 Sept 2022 16:15 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea made a last minute attempt to hijack Richarlison from Tottenham this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Brazilian became Tottenham’s most expensive signing of all time when he completed his move from Everton.
Related articles
The forward moved to north London for a total fee of £60 million (£50 million plus £10m in add-ons). This converts to €70m.
However, Chelsea attempted to hijack the deal in the final hours before he officially signed for Spurs.
What did Romano say about Richarlison?
“Chelsea made a bid for Richarlison during the night before his medical tests with Tottenham (made in Brazil); Richarlison had already an agreement with Spurs and same on clubs’ side, but Chelsea wanted to hijack the deal,” Romano wrote in his CaughtOffside column.
“Arsenal only asked for information, there was never an official negotiation. It was about the manager, as Antonio Conte really wanted him, and also Champions League football of course.”
Richarlison confirms Chelsea made a bid to sign him: “Yes, I know Chelsea made an offer in the summer… and I believe Arsenal contacted Everton to ask about my situation”. ⚪️🇧🇷 #THFC
“But Spurs came in and paid the fee, you know? It’s as simple as that”, he told @standardsport. pic.twitter.com/4fZ8dA68jx— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 24, 2022
Richarlison signed a five-year contract with Tottenham.
In the process, the 25-year-old surpassed Tanguy NDombele as Spurs’ most expensive player ever.
Ndombele arrived from Lyon in 2019 but struggled before moving to Napoli on loan this summer.
Richarlison has had a good start to his career, scoring two goals and helping Tottenham to third in the Premier League table, just a point off leaders Arsenal.
The attacker has also impressed for the Brazil national team and he is likely to go to the World Cup in November.
