View: Richarlison might need to step up and replace Harry Kane at Tottenham
Tottenham might face a striking dilemma next season under new boss Ange Postecoglou if Harry Kane is to leave the club this summer.
Kane has been Tottenham’s main man since he burst onto the scene during the 2014/15 campaign and the England captain has been irreplaceable ever since.
However, Spurs face a real threat of losing him during this summer transfer window with speculation surrounding his future ongoing.
If the club’s record goalscorer is to depart, Tottenham will turn their attention to Richarlison to fill that hole left behind.
That is according to reliable journalist David Ornstein who told Five UK that he got the sense from conversations he has had that Richarlison will be promoted to the role of number one if Kane was to go.
Richarlison has struggled to settle into life in North London since his £60million switch from Everton last summer – a club record fee for Tottenham.
The Brazillian scored just one Premier League goal in his first full season with the club while providing four assists. Despite scoring twice in the Champions League and impressing at the World Cup – winning goal of the tournament for his audacious acrobatic finish – it just hasn’t clicked with his new side.
Luck has often gone against the former Everton man as he saw three of his goals ruled out for marginal offsides by VAR after celebrating passionately each time.
While things have not gone the 26-year-old’s way, in fairness to the striker, his inconsistent squad role has not helped his case. As per stats provided by Transfermrtk, he has only started 12 league games, usually sporadically, and often featured out of position on the wing, rather than in his preferred central role.
When he has played, there have been signs of promise in moments, and one especially impressive statistic will have caught the eye of his new boss.
Incoming Tottenham manager Postecoglou is known to play high-pressing football, which is something the Tottenham number nine can provide and is often known for doing.
Stats provided by FBREF back this up. Compared to his positional peers in the Premier League, Richarlison won 1.43 tackles per 90, placing him in the 87th percentile for this particular statistic. He also challenged 2.41 dribbles per 90 and tackled 1.07 dribbles per 90, placing him in the top 10 percentile in regard to both of these statistics.
On top of this, he also finds himself in the top ten percentile for tackles in his defensive third, having attempted 1.16 per 90.
There is no doubt the quality is there, the striker has 49 goals in 200 Premier League appearances despite most of his playing career being at struggling sides Watford and then Everton.
With a consistent run in the side and aggression that suits new boss Postecgolou, there is no reason Richarlison cannot make a positive impact at Tottenham next season.
Can he replace Kane? Most likely not. But there are very few who can. If Spurs fans see half of what they got from Kane from Richarlison, that in itself will be plenty, and the forward is more than capable of providing that.