Tottenham star Richarlison takes aim at Virgil van Dijk in new clash
Tottenham ace Richarlison continued his ongoing feud with Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk in a new post on social media.
The pair have an ongoing feud, with the Brazilian striker previously saying that the Dutch international was not a top-three centre back in the world.
The battle between the two was reignited when Tottenham faced off against Liverpool in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.
Spurs won the first leg 1-0, and in the return fixture at Anfield, Van Dijk clashed with Richarlison and was fortunate not to be sent off for an elbow.
Soon after, the former Celtic defender pulled the age-old trick of offering a hand to the former Everton man, to help him off the ground, before pulling it back and running off, leaving Richarlison looking silly for believing the authenticity of Van Dijk’s offer.
Richarlison was then booed off the pitch by Liverpool fans, after aggravating an injury that had kept him sidelined during Spurs’ most difficult period in years.
Liverpool would go on to win the tie comfortably, after demolishing the North London side 4-0 on the night (6 February), and 4-1 on aggregate.
Richarlison linked with surprise transfer return to Everton
In a post on his Instagram, Richarlison shared two photos of himself and Van Dijk, captioned in English: “This time I spoke in English.” Perhaps hinting at previously saying something unrepeatable in Portuguese to the Liverpool captain.
The pair may become closer than the currently comfortable arrangement they have at the moment, with Richarlison being linked with a return to Everton.
The move would see the Brazilian striker return to his former club, and his re-addition to the Merseyside derby could prove to be a thorn in Liverpool’s side.
Richarlison scored the opener in a 2-0 win for the Toffees at Anfield in 2021, as Everton registered their first win at Liverpool’s home ground since 1999.
Richarlison struggles to find form for Tottenham
Tottenham have been decimated by injuries recently, and Richarlison has been one name on a lengthy list that has featured irregularly for Spurs this year.
However, his woes with the North London club have not solely been down to fitness issues, with the Brazilian struggling to find the form that saw Tottenham shell out £60million to sign him in 2022.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Richarlison |
| Appearances | 9 |
| Starts | 2 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Expected goals | 1.17 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Expected Assists | 0.59 |
The former Watford man has managed only 18 goals in 80 games for Spurs. In his first season, Richarlison was often played out of position to accommodate for Harry Kane, and has not become the replacement for the Englishman that Tottenham fans had hoped.
Spurs have risen to 12th in the table, following a win over Man United (16 February), but are still a long way off from where they had hoped to be this year, having finished 5th last season.