A Tottenham man could reportedly stay beyond January despite saying ‘yes’ to a January move, as there are two reasons Spurs could keep him at the club.
Spurs have fared much better this season than they did last. In the Premier League, they came 17th last term, and new boss Thomas Frank has them sixth in the table after 10 games.
They have dropped a few places since losing to Chelsea last time out. Tottenham have not had an issue with scoring goals – notching 17 so far – but that Micky van de Ven is their joint-top scorer in the league may bring some concern.
Alongside him is Richarlison, with the pair on three goals each, and it’s been reported of late that the striker is looking to leave the club, with our friends at TEAMtalk stating he has ‘said yes’ to re-joining Everton ahead of the January window.
They suggest that hinges on the type of deal the Toffees would look to do, as well as Spurs only entertaining the exit if they can sign a striker of their own.
The latest report, from TBRFootball, suggests Richarlison may not be able to move until at least the summer, for two reasons.
Insider Graeme Bailey said: “There is interest in Richarlison – he decided not to leave last summer, as he focused on game time for Tottenham and winning his spot in the Brazilian squad. Thomas Frank likes the player and he has five goal contributions in five league starts – showing he is capable of operating in Frank’s style.
“Tottenham are looking at new strikers, but whether it happens in January remains to be seen. We believe the left-wing and centre-back positions to be priorities at this point, but very much next summer [they could sign a striker].”
It would not be surprising were Frank not to want to see Richarlison leave, given that would leave Van de Ven as his biggest goal threat, and that he’s a defender raises problems.
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But for Richarlison, a desire to return to Everton makes sense. While he’s the joint-top scorer at Spurs in the league this season, the striker has never been as effective in north London as he was on Merseyside.
His best return in a Premier League season for Tottenham was 11, but he’s not got close to double figures in his two other full seasons.
At Everton, meanwhile, he twice bagged 13 goals in the league, and the Toffees side may be of higher quality now than it was then, simply lacking a good striker.
READ MORE: Was Van de Ven’s Champions League wondergoal, if anything, almost *too* good for Spurs?
