Spurs: Ange can finally bin £90k-p/w ‘joke’ after signing Brennan Johnson
The Whites can finally ditch their “joke” after their big Deadline Day signing.
Tottenham Hotspur may have enjoyed a progressive summer window, which helped Ange Postecoglou fast-track his impending revolution, but he still has the unenviable and near-impossible task of replacing Harry Kane looming over him.
The England captain remains the club’s all-time record scorer, and had he opted to remain in north London rather than moving to Bayern Munich, it was highly likely that he would have shattered Alan Shearer’s all-time scoring record in the Premier League too.
So, to see the Australian boss opt against signing a striker baffled many, with his faith in Richarlison seemingly unwavering.
After all, he spoke so highly of how the Brazilian could uphold his system above all else: “He works hard for the team and a lot of what he does, does not get seen. His pressing, his runs. Sometimes he does not get the ball but he is always making those runs and he is a constant nuisance for defenders. I have said before that I really like Richy.
“He is someone who has got all of the attributes that I look for in a striker, in that he has got the strong work ethic, he is always in the right areas and he is presenting himself and making a presence of himself in the right areas for the way we play. I have got a lot of time for him and he is one of the ones I am looking forward to working with.”
However, the torrid start he has endured could put his continued presence in the side under threat, with their movement on Deadline Day to secure Brennan Johnson sure to push the former Everton ace further down the pecking order, should his poor form persist.
Why did Spurs sign Brennan Johnson?
As their sole signing on the final day of the transfer window, Johnson adds yet another attacking star to their varied and explosive front line which now boasts Heung-min Son, Manor Solomon, Dejan Kulusevski and more.
However, the outstanding attributes of the Wales international have been outlined by journalist Tim Spiers, who offers many reasons why Spurs spent £47.5m on the speedster: “His pace can absolutely terrify defenders, who even now still don’t quite seem sure how to deal with it.
“That works for him in a number of ways: getting behind the last defender; attacking a full-back down the wing to deliver low crosses; playing one-twos and leaving a defender for dead. It also helps with his poacher’s instincts — a few of his goals last season were from rebounds, where his acceleration allowed him to get to the ball first.
“There’s also pressing: he generally hasn’t been asked to do a huge amount of high pressing at Forest, but his speed and tenacity suggests that he could quite easily do that if required.”
Not only this, but his versatility could prove an issue for Brazil’s number nine, given the 22-year-old has often featured through the centre as well as his favoured right-wing spot.
With Son’s recent hat trick as a striker too, already it seems like Richarlison is set to see his opportunities dwindle should he fail to recapture his form.
Johnson’s eight goals and three assists in his debut term in the Premier League further emphasise his goalscoring prowess, with his 15% conversion rate from last season a fine figure compared to the 4% of the man he could be usurping; Richarlison.
Not only this, but the former Forest star also has the work rate that Postecoglou lauded the Brazilian for, as when compared to other forwards across Europe the former Forest star ranks in the top 9% for progressive carries per 90, but also the top 11% for tackles per 90, via FBref.
It seems that, if Richarlison is to stamp his claim on that vacant centre-forward spot, he needs to pull something out of the bag soon given the quality of the competition that has just joined.
What has Richarlison done at Spurs?
Big things were expected of the 26-year-old when he traded the Toffees for Spurs, with his £60m price tag likely not aiding in the immense pressure already heaped upon his shoulders.
Especially when such a fee made him just the second most expensive player in the history of the club, with his performances before joining having shown little to suggest the star quality needed to live up to such billing.
Having become a key figure at Goodison Park for his battling and relentless displays as they fought to avoid the drop, his ten goals and five assists were imperative throughout their relegation-threatened 2021/22 season, and he left a hero.
It seemed that at last, the once-clinical goalscorer was on track to realising the potential that Carlo Ancelotti had set out for him: “I said to him, you want to fight for the Ballon d’Or, you are a fantastic physical player with a lot of talent, but don’t lose this. I think that Richarlison is great in my opinion because he is a modern striker, because he can play right, left in the middle without problems. He is clinical in the box.”
However, Antonio Conte failed to usher that kind of quality out of the £90k-per-week ace, and the toothless striker finished the season with just one league goal, drawing scorn from talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino:
“If you said to me the worst player this season, right, the worst player for what he’s got – Richarlison. He’s been a joke this year, Richarlison. I don’t care if he’s been injured or gone away to a World Cup. Yesterday [in Spurs’ 2-1 loss to Aston Villa], he hardly tried a leg. He looked really disinterested.”
What makes things worse is that, despite starting four of their opening five games, he has once again failed to score or assist to start this new season either
It seems that positive reinforcement works best with the versatile star, who will likely be feeling mightily threatened given the wealth of attacking talent that now surrounds him, exacerbated by Johnson’s arrival too.
Having left Merseyside to follow his ambitious goals of playing at the elite level, perhaps first the 6-foot finisher could seek to regain the form worthy of appearances at the top or else find himself stuck to the bench like he was last weekend.
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