Alasdair Gold believes that Ange Postecoglou is developing an affection for Richarlison at Tottenham, with the Brazilian showing fantastic form in pre-season.
Spurs signed Richarlison from Everton for £60m last summer (SkySports), but he struggled to earn a regular place in the starting XI under Antonio Conte – with Harry Kane, Heung-min Son, and Dejan Kulusevski often being preferred.
It was also revealed recently that Conte tore Richarlison apart in front of the entire squad for two hours last season after the forward made some controversial comments in the press (Que Papinho podcast).
Richarlison scored a hat-trick against Lion City Sailors last time out in pre-season, replacing Harry Kane for the second half. And there is every chance he will have to replace the England captain for a full season.
Postecoglou has already taken a shine to Richarlison
Postecoglou has apparently noticed that Richarlison may benefit from an ‘arm around the shoulder’ this season, as he looks to improve on his single Premier League goal last time out.
Gold said on his YouTube channel: “I can definitely tell that Postecoglou is developing a bit of an affection for Richarlison. You can tell that, by just the way he acts and talks about him.
“Don’t forget, this is the Richarlison who has spoken recently about getting absolutely torn apart by Conte for two hours in front of the squad and ripping him apart.
“Maybe Postecoglou has seen that he is the kind of guy that needs a bit of arm around his shoulder. When he was asked about his confidence being up with that hat trick, he said, ‘I hope so, I have said it before that I really like Richy. He is someone who has all the attributes that I look for in a striker and he has a strong work ethic.'”
Spurs Web Opinion:
If Harry Kane does leave this summer, then Richarlison has a very important part to play. At the very least, he would be the starting striker for the first few games of the season. At the most, he could be Postecoglou’s first choice for the entire season. Those are some big shoes to fill.
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