Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O’Hara took aim at Ben Davies, Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez while questioning Richarlison’s £60 million price-tag following Wednesday’s FA Cup fifth round defeat at Sheffield United, speaking to talkSPORT (1 March, 11.30pm).
That ‘Spursy’ moniker exists for nights like this.
There was something so typically Tottenham about seeing their hopes of a long-awaited trophy dashed by a second-tier side on a cold midweek night in South Yorkshire; all the positivity built up following those London derby triumphs over West Ham and Chelsea undone by the magic feet of Iliman Ndiaye.
If only Tottenham had a striker with Ndiaye’s composure in the final third. Record signing Richarlison scored more goals at the Qatar World Cup than he has in 23 Spurs games, flashing his best chance high into the Bramall Road stands with a finish that made a mockery of his eye-watering price-tag.
Tottenham suffer FA Cup loss at Sheffield United
“No I don’t,” O’Hara said when asked if he thought Richarlison was worth the £60 million Tottenham paid for him.
“But his goalscoring record for Brazil is really good. At Everton, he basically kept them up single- handedly. He was a positive coming into the team. You can’t play Harry Kane every minute of every game.
“There has to be a time where the man needs a rest. Other players have to step in and do a job for you.”
With Kane on the bench, Richarlison certainly did not ‘do the job’ Antonio Conte asked of him in Sheffield; flattering to deceive in a flaccid three-man frontline also containing Heung-Min Son and the seldom-seen Lucas Moura.
“You’ve got Richarlison, Son and Lucas in your side. You expect to create chances, take nothing away from Sheffield united. Son is miles off it,” O’Hara adds, before shifting his focus to a defence which appeared to stand idly by with their hands in their pockets as Ndiaye weaved his way through on 79 minutes.
“Ben Davies is solid. He works hard, I like him. Dier is the same, Davinson Sanchez. But if you look at that back three on paper, when you’re realistic about your chances of winning the FA Cup, that back three is not good enough.
“(From Tottenham there was) no determination, no resilience, no passion. It was Spursy. So Spursy.”
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