Jamie O’Hara has said that Richarlison has not justified the transfer fee that Tottenham paid for him in the summer, questioning why the forward has not been able to replicate his form for Brazil in a Spurs shirt.
Richarlison was handed an opportunity to lead the line on Wednesday in Tottenham’s FA Cup fifth-round clash against Sheffield United, with Harry Kane being handed a much-needed rest.
However, the Lilywhites looked toothless in attack and were dumped out of the FA Cup by an understrength Blades side.
Richarlison, who has only scored two goals since his big-money move from Everton last summer, endured another frustrating night before being replaced by Harry Kane on 65 minutes.
When asked if the 25-year-old was worth the £60 million Tottenham paid for him, O’Hara told talkSPORT on 1 March, 11.30 pm: “No I don’t.
“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.”
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The former Spurs midfielder suggested that the Lilywhites had enough firepower on the pitch to overcome the Championship side.
He continued: “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.
“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.”
Finally, O’Hara also suggested that Tottenham’s backline is not of the level required to win silverware.
The pundit added: “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.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While Tottenham’s backline did not defend particularly well, I find it quite curious that some fans are blaming the defence when we conceded just one goal.
Our problem was, once again, our inability to create chances.
It seems like some fans just want scapegoats and thus pick on the likes of Dier and Davies when we lose.
Our failure to create chances despite the quality we have in attack, clearly points to a coaching failure.
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