Why has Ian Wright stood up for Richarlison in 'crazy' Tottenham verdict?

Ian Wright has surprisingly backed Richarlison after weeks of arguments at Tottenham Hotspur.

There has been so much coverage surrounding the Brazilian throughout the transfer window and beyond.

He had looked set to join Everton at one point before a deal fell through.

That left him stuck between a rock and a hard place as a move back to Brazil also failed when their window slammed shut.

This all came after a public spat with Roberto De Zerbi which has seen the Italian freeze the forward out as a result.

That has been met with a largely positive reaction in N17, but why has Wright spoken up to defend Richarlison?

What has Ian Wright said about Richarlison?

The 29-year-old is now stuck with the Lilywhites until January, at least.

It looks as if he's going to be sitting around with little to do based on how De Zerbi is acting.

The Spurs boss has been crystal clear that the attacker won't feature for his side, not even in cup competition.

That saw him miss out on the midweek Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool.

Spurs did score at Anfield, but are yet to find the net in the Premier League.

That is why Wright can't get his head around why Richarlison would be frozen out like this.

Speaking via Stick to Football on Thursday, the Arsenal legend said: "The manager is making contention with his centre-forward in a time where they aren't scoring goals.

"I think it's crazy because, whatever you think about Richarlison, you put him up there and he'll cause problems and they need to score. Get Richarlison in there because he's chaotic and do something, and you're having an argument so he's nowhere near the team."

It is an interesting standpoint and raises questions of what the Brazilian could bring to Spurs right now.

Should Richarlison return to the Tottenham squad?

The 1997-born man has had his fair share of critics ever since moving to North London in 2022.

That has come this season after making his only start in a 3-0 defeat against Brentford where his 89 per cent pass accuracy was outweighed by no shots, no chances created and nine duel losses.

Despite that, it feels as if beggars can't be choosers right now.

The Lilywhites are yet to score in the Premier League this season, while Richarlison scored 11 in the top flight last time around.

He created 20 chances despite starting the same number of league games, while averaging 1.29 line-breaking passes and 2.81 shots per 90.

That is only made better by his 6.39 duels won and 1.52 fouls won per game, which evidence the chaos Wright is mentioning.

Realistically, Richarlison can't be any worse than what Tottenham have right now and it may well be worth putting any differences aside.