Spurs striker Richarlison will be the flop of the season in the Premier League this year, according to former Arsenal man and Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith.
This summer transfer window has been one of the busiest and most chaotic of all time, with lots of big-money signings, players wanting to move on and then making U-turns, and high-profile free agents up for grabs.
Tottenham Hotspur have had a productive summer, bringing in six new faces to add quality and depth to their squad as Antonio Conte prepares to compete domestically and in the Champions League.
The most expensive of those new additions in North London is Richarlison, with the attacker signing from Everton for a reported fee of £60 million, including add-ons (The Guardian).
The Brazilian is expected to challenge Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, and Dejan Kulusevski for a place in the Spurs forward line, and offer rotation options to keep the front three clear of injury and fatigue.
According to Arsenal legend Alan Smith, however, Richarlison is set to be a disappointment this season (90Min YouTube channel). The Sky Sports pundit was asked to predict his flop of the season, and gave a response that will please Gunners fans.
Smith said: “I’m going to say Richarlison, Arsenal fans will love that. He’s clearly a talented lad and he was leading the line for Everton almost single-handedly, but I don’t know. It will be interesting the dynamic between him and his manager, between him and Conte.”
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Anyone with a connection to Arsenal is always going to try and ruffle some feathers with comments like this, but Richarlison is a proven Premier League talent who offers Spurs exactly what they’ve been looking for. Whether he starts, or provides an option from the bench, the Brazilian has all the tools required to make an impact at Tottenham.
As for the relationship between player and manager, we can’t imagine Conte having any issue with the attitude and mentality of a hungry, aggressive player like Richarlison. Indeed, that kind of spirit is likely to complement the Italian manager’s approach to football perfectly.
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