It was already suspected that Richarlison and Antonio Conte didn’t quite see eye to eye during the Italian’s time at Spurs, but now Emerson Royal has shared a very funny story that reveals the extent of the disagreement.
Richarlison was signed during Antonio Conte‘s tenure, in the summer of 2022. However, the Brazilian severely struggled in his first season with the Lilywhites, scoring just three goals all year (Transfermarkt).
It’s a different story for the striker this term, with 11 goals already, and a run of nine goals in eight games earlier this year (Transfermarkt).
Tottenham Hotspur appears to be a far happier club now, with Ange Postecoglou instilling a real sense of positivity and togetherness around the club in his first year in charge. Richarlison has been one of the key players to benefit from this new approach.
What did Richarlison say to Antonio Conte?
The extent to which Richarlison did not enjoy life at Spurs under Conte has now been revealed, as Emerson Royal shares details of a conversation that occurred once when his compatriot was late for a meeting.
Speaking to in Brazilian YouTuber Fred on the Desimpedidos channel, Royal said: “He arrived late at the meeting on the day of the game, and [Conte] said ‘do you have something to say to the team? Do you want to apologize to the team?’ He asked the other guys who had arrived late too, the guys said ‘no, just sorry’, then I don’t know what got into [Richarlison].
“He was supposed to apologise to the group and to [Conte], right? Then he said ‘I think I need more minutes [of game time]’. I think he understood it that the guy asked if he had something to talk about, then he started saying that the formation we played in was sh*t. He said a couple of things.”
Richarlison also discussed the incident, adding: “I came out saying everything that came to mind… I started talking, then the guys behind started laughing and I said ‘what am I doing here?’ I didn’t understand what he had asked, I started saying what I had already rehearsed.”
Spurs Web Opinion
This is absolutely hilarious, and it actually explains a lot about what happened last year with Spurs and with Richarlison’s form and involvement in particular. Fair play to him for speaking his mind, though.