Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou to axe Timo Werner for West Ham clash amid Richarlison update
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou will likely axe Timo Werner in favour of Richarlison for Spurs’ showdown with West Ham United, according to Alan Hutton.
Spurs make the short trip to the London Stadium on Tuesday (2 April) as they look to build on their late win over Luton Town and move above Aston Villa and into the Premier League’s top four, even if only for the next 24 hours.
The quick turnaround between fixtures has given Postecoglou little time on the training ground, but the Australian has admitted that Richarlison is fit and available to feature from the start having come on as a substitute against the Hatters.
While the Brazilian’s return could see Son Heung-min pushed out of his current centre-forward role, Hutton expects the South Korean international to shift over to the left flank with Werner dropping to the bench after a “frustrating” display against Luton.
“The one for me is Werner,” Hutton told Tottenham News.
“That’s the question mark for me. You see the opportunities that he gets and he can be frustrating as you know that he’s got the ability to run by people, to cut inside and make opportunities.
“But he’s not just got that finishing touch, whereas when Son plays out there when he runs through you think he’s going to score.
“If Richarlison’s fit and he thinks he’s in a good frame of mind, I still think him as the number nine, Son to the left with Kulusevski or Johnson on the right with Maddison in behind, that’s a front four that will scare any defence.”
Will Richarlison start for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham against West Ham United?
As Hutton suggested, Werner has been frustrating since arriving at Spurs as it is clear the German striker has plenty of ability, but for whatever reason he has been unable to find the net consistently despite plenty of goalscoring chances.
Before his injury, Richarlison had been in excellent goalscoring form and it seems a given that the Brazilian should start week in and week out when fit, but Son also can’t be dropped given his recent exploits.
While Werner doesn’t necessarily deserve the axe, he seems the most likely candidate to drop out against the Hammers. Hopefully, Spurs will be able to claim all three points no matter who Postecoglou names in the starting XI.
In other Tottenham news, Spurs have jumped on the Juventus transfer bandwagon as they eye a move for Albert Gudmundsson
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