Robbie Fowler has admitted that Richarlison of Tottenham Hotspur is a player who is easy to dislike, but did receive glowing reports about the player’s work ethic.
Richarlison made headlines for the right reasons this week with a wonderful brace for Brazil in their World Cup victory over Serbia.
The second, in particular, was a thing of real beauty from the former Everton attacker, whose scissor kick earned him rave reviews.
It seems a coin toss as to whether we’re talking positively or negatively about the £60 million Spurs forward, though.
Earlier this season, he courted criticism for unncessary showboating away to Nottingham Forest, and often finds himself in Twitter spats with former players – like, ahem, Jamie Carragher for instance.
But although Fowler conceded that the 25-year-old is quite dislikable at times, the Liverpudlian has heard from Everton-supporting pals that his work ethic is second to none.
He wrote in The Mirror [page 79, 27/11]: “He loves the big stage, the bigger the game the better. Yes, he is at times one of those players you can easily dislike because of his unsavoury antics. I’ve got a lot of mates who watch Everton and the one thing they all mentioned about Richarlison was his fantastic work-ethic.
“Sometimes that goes unnoticed because of his flamboyant goal attempts etc, but he does work hard and hates losing, which is never a bad thing.”
Say what you like about Richarlison, but whether it’s on the field or off it, he is generally entertaining and that’s why Tottenham supporters are starting to love him.
There’s genuine ability there and if he can be more consistent then we’re talking about someone who could be absolutely lethal for the North Londoners – and Brazil.
He’s expected to spearhead the Selecao attack again on Monday as Tite’s side take on Switzerland.
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