Danny Murphy has told talkSPORT that Richarlison will ‘have to wait’ for his chance to oust Dejan Kulusevski, while Tottenham Hotspur ‘paid a lot’ to sign the Brazilian from Everton.
Spurs agreed to pay the Toffees an initial £50m, plus £10m in add-ons, for the 25-year-old in June. The deal sees the Goodison Park outfit bank a potential profit on his transfer from Watford in 2018, having left Vicarage Road for an initial £40m, plus up to £10m in add-ons.
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Richarlison recorded 53 goals and laid on 14 assists over his 152 appearances for the Blues in all competitions. His best Premier League hauls also came during his first two seasons on Merseyside with 13 in 2018/19 and ‘19/20. The forward struck 10 over 30 games last term.
A majority of Richarlison’s early days at Everton saw the 36-cap Brazil attacker play off the left-wing. But the Nova Venecia native also frequently featured as a centre-forward, either as a solo striker or beside Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with 18 of his 43 league goals hit centrally.
Antonio Conte will now use Richarlison’s versatility to embed the attacker in Tottenham’s frontline after signing one of Everton’s talismans. But Murphy questions the price that his former side paid for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medal winner to head to north London.
Murphy questions Tottenham deal to sign Richarlison from Everton
Murphy additionally questions how Conte will introduce Richarlison to Tottenham’s attack after signing him from Everton. The former Spurs midfielder expects the Brazilian will have to bide his time for minutes until Conte feels ready to swap out January signing Kulusevski.
“I like the Richarlison signing, although I think they’ve paid a lot,” Murphy said. “I think, initially, he’ll have to wait for his opportunity. I’m talking about the big games here.
“I think he’ll end up becoming part of the three: him, Son [Heung-Min] and [Harry] Kane. I think he’s got more goals in him than Kulusevski. He gave them a nice balance and yeah, athleticism and a few assists, but he’s not prolific.
“I think [Richarlison]’s got more goals in him than Kulusevski. He scored double figures in Everton’s team.”
Kulusevski joined Tottenham on loan from Juventus for £8.5m in January with buy clauses. Spurs have the choice to make his switch permanent this summer or next year for £25.5m. Managing director Fabio Paratici also agreed to a £29.5m obligation set on two conditions.
Tottenham must buy Kulusevski if he features in 50% of their Premier League games for 45 minutes or more next term. Richarlison’s arrival could hinder the chances of such. But they must also buy him if the club qualifies for the Champions League at the end of next season.
Kulusevski played in all 18 of the top-flight games available to him last season after moving to north London. He also started 14 for a combined 1,267 minutes, while scoring five goals and laying on a further eight assists – only Son (9) and Kane (9) created more all campaign.
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