Rafael Benitez gives his assessment of the role of Richarlison at Tottenham Hotspur
Rafael Benitez has claimed that the Tottenham Hotspur squad is too good for Richarlison to make a difference.
Spurs signed Richarlison from Everton this summer for £60 million. The 25-year-old is yet to score for Tottenham in the Premier League but has a double in the Champions League.
Now, former Everton manager Benitez believes that the Brazilian will not be the difference maker at Spurs like he was at the Merseyside club. Speaking to Football Daily (h/t Express), the manager gave his thoughts.
“I will give you the answer but you have to realise the answer – No. Why? Because they have so many good players that he cannot make the difference.
He made the difference at Everton because he was an important player, but at Tottenham he will be ONE of the most important players, not the one that will make the difference.”
Tottenham finished last season with an established trio of Harry Kane, Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski. Richarlison was added as the fourth option this summer, but he has worked his way up.
He has been a regular for Antonio Conte this month, after coming on from the bench last month for all his games. But with Son finding his form again, Conte will likely revert to the established trio.
Benitez does know a thing or two about the 25-year-old. He managed the Brazilian during his time at Everton. He played 14 league games under him, scoring four times in the process.
There is a reason why an experienced coach like Conte decided to splash so much money on a forward like Richarlison. It does not matter what Benitez has to say about him, the player has all the potential in him to decide the season for the north London club.
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With only two months played, it is still very early to give a full judgement on the player. Only time will tell if the former Everton manager was right in his assessment of his former player.
