Antonio Conte reveals why Tottenham Hotspur signed Richarlison this summer
Tottenham Hotspur signed Richarlison from Everton this summer for a fee in the region of 60million. The Brazil international came to N17 despite manager Antonio Conte already having an established front three.
Harry Kane and Son Heung-min continue to be virtually undroppable at the club. Meanwhile, Dejan Kulusevski lit up the Premier League since his move to Spurs from Juventus in January.
Lucas Moura is already at the club and while Steven Bergwijn left for Ajax, many wondered how Richarlison would fit into our starting XI. After missing our opening game of the season due to a suspension he carried over from his time at Everton, he made several substitute appearances.
However, he has been handed two consecutive starts recently and made his presence felt in both of those. Richarlison assisted one of our goals in the 2-1 league win against Fulham and then scored a brace against Marseille in our 2-0 UEFA Champions League triumph yesterday.
A brilliant bit of business
After the game, Conte was asked the reason why the club signed the 25-year-old. The Italian manager replied to reporters (h/t Football.London):
“We signed Richi because to exploit the best work of this team and to try to support the three strikers. When you have Sonny, Harry Kane and Deki last season, behind a player like Lucas who is now injured and a big problem for us, we tried to sign a player that was able to play in all of these three positions.”
Conte clearly likes Richarlison for his versatility amongst other things. And that makes complete sense, because that way, the club has killed multiple birds with one stone.
It’s not like the Brazil international will not get regular minutes. With the five substitution rule, the depth and quality of the entire squad matter even more.
More Tottenham News:
- Antonio Conte claims Marseille clash impacts Tottenham Hotspur’s team selection for Manchester City tie
- Transfer News: Tottenham Hotspur not worried about Bayern’s interest in Harry Kane
- Harry Kane sends message to Richarlison after brace in Tottenham Hotspur’s win vs Marseille
It remains to be seen if the former Watford man’s recent performances will be enough to hand him a start in the Premier League clash against Manchester City at the Etihad on September 10.
