Pundit issues Richarlison accusation after Tottenham twist
Antonio Conte has knocked the “petulance” out of Richarlison since his move to Tottenham, according to Noel Whelan.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Leeds United and Coventry City striker insisted Richarlison “looks like a really good signing” for Spurs.
The 25-year-old has forced his way into Conte’s starting XI after starting the season on the bench.
He scored his first two goals for the club on his Champions League debut as Tottenham beat Marseille 2-0 last week (7 September).
In the Premier League, Richarlison already has two assists in 157 minutes of football across five appearances.
“When you’ve got that amount of talent who can play either side on the wing or through the middle as a number nine, you’ve given yourself more options,” Whelan told Football Insider correspondent Ewan Kingsbury.
“We know they’ve got a fantastic front three already but signing him, knowing you’re in the Champions League, knowing you want to fight domestically in the Premier League and in the cups, this looks like a really good signing.
“At £60million, it looks like a real good signing by Tottenham. He’s a really good player.
“The only criticism was the way that he played the game at times. He’s a big strong boy and looked a bit petulant at times.
“But it looks like Conte’s getting the best out of him. He looks like he needed a strong manager to get the best out of him.”
Richarlison moved to Tottenham from Everton in the summer in a deal that could be worth £60million.
He missed the first game of the season with a ban he was given for throwing a flare while an Everton player last season.
In other news, Antonio Conte “has a real problem” at Tottenham after a Son Heung-min reveal.