Tottenham Hotspur centre-forward Richarlison started the season with a fire in his belly with a terrific performance against Burnley in front of his home supporters on Saturday.
The Brazil international scored two of the team’s three goals in a 3-0 win over the Clarets in the first game of the Premier League season, including a spectacular finish from Mohammed Kudus’ cross.
The number nine shirt is up for grabs under Thomas Frank and Richarlison’s performance on Saturday suggests that he is ready to take it for himself.
Spurs signed Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth for £65m in an attempt to finally replace Harry Kane last summer, but he only scored nine goals from 10.97 xG in the Premier League in his first season at the club, per Sofascore.
The England international, who has only hit double figures for goals in one season in his top-flight career, may not be the clinical presence that Frank will want in the centre-forward position.
Richarlison, however, is a player who has the potential to be the main number nine for Spurs if he can remain fit and add more consistency to his all-round game.
Why Richarlison could be the main man for Spurs
The Brazilian striker has shown promise as a finisher at various points in his career in England, having, of course, played for Everton before his move to north London.
During his time at Goodison Park, Richarlison scored 43 goals from 41.85 xG across four seasons in the Premier League, per Understat. He also hit double figures for goals in three of those four campaigns, which speaks to both his ability as a regular goalscorer and a clinical finisher.
Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, Richarlison has scored 17 goals from 14.77 xG for Spurs in the Premier League, per Understat, which is further evidence of his potential as a clinical striker for Spurs.
The biggest hurdle between the striker and being the main man for Tottenham appears to be his fitness. He has missed far too many matches through injury in the last few seasons, particularly last term, and that has disrupted his progress in North London.
24/25
4
37
23/24
4
10
22/23
2
11
21/22
2
13
20/21
2
2
As you can see in the table above, Richarlison has missed a staggering 47 games through injury in the last two seasons at Spurs, and his durability is something that he needs to work on.
If the 28-year-old marksman can find a way to be available week-in-week-out for Tottenham, he has shown that he has the finishing ability to a consistent and strong goal threat in the Premier League.
Strikers need service, though, and that was shown during the Harry Kane and Heung-min Son era. The duo combined for the most goals (47) as a pairing in Premier League history, with both players teeing each other up for goals on a regular basis.
Spurs planning bid for new winger
Richarlison will need his own version of Son, to score the level of goals that Kane did for Spurs, and the club are trying to sign a player who could be that creative force for the Brazilian.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham Hotspur remain in talks over a deal to sign Manchester City winger Savinho before the end of the summer transfer window.
The reporter claims that Spurs are planning to make a new offer for the Brazil international, after their first bid was turned down by the Premier League giants.
Romano states that the left-footed star, who has spent one season at The Etihad so far, ‘remains keen’ on a transfer to link up with Frank’s squad this summer.
It has been reported that City are holding out for a fee in the region of £69m for the attacker, but it remains to be seen whether or not the latest offer planned by Spurs will be enough to tempt them into cashing in on Savinho.
Why Savinho would be a dream for Richarlison
The Manchester City winger could be Richarlison’s own version of Heung-min Son because of the level of creativity that he can provide on the right wing.
As per Transfermarkt, Son delivered 101 assists in ten seasons with Spurs, so roughly ten per year on average. This meant that he provided a consistent source of creativity down the flank to ensure that Kane never went long without a chance to find the back of the net.
Savinho’s first two seasons with more than 20 first-team appearances, in the last two campaigns, have yielded 20 assists for Manchester City and Girona combined, per Sofascore, which is an average of ten per year.
This suggests that Spurs would be signing a star with the potential to be as creative for the club as Son was at the height of his powers alongside Kane at the top end of the pitch.
Savinho, who was described as a “live wire” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, created a whopping 32 ‘big chances’ for his teammates in the last two seasons in all competitions, registering 20 assists from those opportunities, per Sofascore.
xAG
0.35
Top 2%
Shot-creating actions
5.66
Top 3%
Key passes
2.34
Top 11%
Passes into the penalty area
2.40
Top 8%
Goal-creating actions
0.76
Top 4%
Assists
0.41
Top 1%
As you can see in the table above, the 21-year-old dynamo ranked incredibly highly among his positional peers in the Premier League in a host of creative metrics.
He racked up 6.10 xA and created 11 ‘big chances’ in 21 Premier League starts for City, per Sofascore. Meanwhile, no Spurs player created more than 5.91 xA and only Son (16) created more than ten ‘big chances’ for the team.
This suggests that Savinho has the creative quality and Premier League performances under his belt to come in as the creator-in-chief for Frank this season. He is a proven performer with plenty of time, at the age of 21, to get even better under the manager’s coaching, and could hit the ground running in North London.
Therefore, the £69m-rated wing wizard could be the Son to Richarlison’s Kane if the club are able to get a deal over the line for him, as he has the ability to create the chances the striker needs to be a prolific scorer for the Lilywhites.
