Tottenham are kidding themselves with Richarlison demand, will miss chance to save at least £360k-a-month
It doesn’t feel particularly nice to be picking out Richarlison for criticism at Tottenham but the sad truth is he just has not cut the mustard for Spurs.
The Brazil forward, 26, arrived from Everton for a reported £60million fee in June 2022 (the Athletic) predominantly to provide back-up to Harry Kane.
Kane has, of course, since departed for Bayern Munich and Tottenham opted not to bring in a natural out-and-out striker to replace their star man and England captain.
It meant there was even more onus on Richarlison to try and find his shooting boots this season and…well…he hasn’t.
He has just five goals in 48 appearances for Spurs since making the move from the Toffees, just two in the Premier League. It means Richarlison has cost Spurs £12m per goal so far, £30m for his top-flight return.
So, it came as little surprise when there reports surfaced Tottenham are willing to let Richarlison go in January. What is surprising is 90min’s report on Wednesday (6 December) that the club would want to recoup the £60m they forked out to sign him.
It has been suggested that clubs in the Saudi Pro League remain interested in the Brazil forward, and we all know clubs in Saudi Arabia have the means to pay big bucks to sign players.
But, even accounting for Daniel Levy’s reputation for striking an extremely hard bargain, it seems fanciful that Spurs are going to recoup that sort of money for a misfiring forward.
Furthermore, Richarlison – according to 90min – is on a reported £90,000 per week at Tottenham – and that’s just his base salary.
Essentially, Spurs could end up costing themselves the chance to save £360,000 per month minimum on a player who clearly does not have what it takes to succeed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and that’s before any additional bonuses are factored in – albeit his goal bonus won’t be exactly breaking the bank right now.
Still, surely the sensible financial move to make is to accept a loss on a player contracted until 2027, save money on his huge wages, and reinvest the money on a striker who is going to get you some goals.
In other Tottenham news, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has surely played his last Spurs game after West Ham nightmare.