It is time for Richarlison to ignore any criticism that comes his way and let his football do the talking.
That is the view of former Liverpool attacker and CaughtOffside columnist Stan Collymore, who believes the Brazilian forward must embrace the challenge of replacing Harry Kane.
Following Kane’s recent transfer to Bayern Munich, Richarlison, now one of Spurs’ only outright senior attackers, will be expected to lead the Lilywhite’s line along with new club captain Son Heung-min.
However, despite joining from Everton in a deal worth a whopping £60 million last year (Sky Sports), the flamboyant South American has yet to live up to expectations.
And with Kane recently leaving in favour of Bayern Munich, Collymore believes new manager Ange Postecoglou must boost Richarlison’s ego in order to see exactly what the 26-year-old is capable of.
“He certainly talks a good game and doesn’t shy away from having a pop at any fans or pundits who criticise him, either on social media or on television,” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.
“But now is not the time for talk, he needs to let his football do the talking because up until this point, he hasn’t put in anywhere near enough effort or shown anywhere near enough desire to really master his craft. He’s a senior Brazil international and came from Everton with all the hype behind him so he should be standing there and shouting from the rooftops about how he’s ready to lead Spurs’ line and to be Ange Postecoglou’s main man.
“If I was his manager, I would put my arm around him and tell him how good he is, I would say everything he wants to hear and then watch to see what he does to discover whether or not he can score those 20 goals a season. Richarlison needs to grow up, stop being a big baby and really embrace the challenge that awaits him because my word, it’s a big one!”
How many goals do you think Richarlison will score this season? – Let us know in the comments below.