Just before the weekend, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou had a word with ESPN Brasil.
The coach talked a lot about Brazilian football and all the memories he has with players from the South American country, pointing out he now has Emerson Royal and Richarlison in his squad.
It was about the striker that ESPN reporter João Castelo-Branco asked Postecoglou about. The Tottenham centre-forward recently went through surgery, and Postecoglou made it clear that his faith in the player hasn’t wavered one bit.
“It’s the nature of football, that’s what I keep telling the players. I think that sometimes, as footballers, they’re doing what they love. They’re well paid to play at the highest level possible. But there are always challenges. And that’s Richarlison’s biggest challenge. It’s been tough,” Postecoglou told ESPN Brasil.
“He’s had a few injuries that haven’t allowed him to try and play the way he wants to, and that’s frustrating. But he’s had a sort of procedure now. And, talking to him, he feels much better about his body. It’s up to him to keep training and get back to that level. We know he can come in and contribute to the team.”
Playing for Tottenham this season, Richarlison has two goals and three assists in eleven appearances.
Since Spurs spent €58m to sign him from Everton in the summer of 2022, the striker has only five goals and seven assists in 46 games.
The 26-year-old recently revealed that he’d been through a tough personal time, so this surgery certainly came out at a good moment to keep him sidelined for a while.
The club are still to have a date for his return, but it seems he should be back on the pitch before Christmas.
