Richarlison has joined Tottenham from Everton after signing on the dotted line late on Thursday.
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Rumors of a deal taking Richarlison from Everton to Tottenham picked up considerable steam from the start of this week to the end, culminating in a $73-million move to London and, more importantly, the UEFA Champions League.
Richarlison, 25, joined Everton from Watford for roughly $60 million in the summer of 2018. The Brazilian international scored 43 goals in 135 Premier League games for the Toffees (53 in 152 in all competitions).
Earlier this week, when the reports seemed to take a turn for the serious, we briefly discussed Richarlison moving to Tottenham thusly…Richarlison will almost certainly be used by Antonio Conte in a utility role. Not only does he have the size and strength (and a bit of hold-up ability) to play the no. 9 somewhat similarly to Harry Kane, but he’s also quick enough and direct enough to make runs in behind on either side of Kane, spelling Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski in the process.
Not for nothing, it’s a crucial place in the team with Conte forced (and lucky) to have picked the above trio for the majority of games down the stretch last season, when Tottenham had only Premier League fixtures to navigate. Beyond his technical and physical ability and various tactical fits, Richarlison also ticks the “willing to fight and scrap nonstop for 90 minutes” box that Conte loves to see.Is this a good deal?
Richarlison is an incredibly hard-working player who, while not suited to be a superstar himself, won’t ever balk at meeting Antonio Conte’s sky-high demands day in and day out. In fact, Richarlison seems a safe bet to reinforce the “we must give everything we have” philosophy.
A more perfect human fit is hard to imagine.