Everton could be facing the prospect of life without Richarlison next term, following a worrying update from journalist David Ornstein.
What’s the word?
Writing on Twitter, the respected insider revealed that the Brazilian gem is the subject of interest from fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, with sources close to the Merseyside outfit believing that a deal could well happen.
Amid speculation over the 25-year-old’s future at Goodison Park, Ornstein has revealed that north London could well be his next destination: “Tottenham interested in signing Richarlison. No bid yet – will only do it at right price + have other options. Everton want more than reported €60m but need for funds likely to reduce fee + some close to #EFC think #THFC move will happen.”
In his attached piece for The Athletic, the transfer guru added that the Toffees may be inclined to sell due to a need to raise funds, although Spurs are yet to make a concrete offer for his services.
Lampard will be fuming
After having clinched top-flight survival by the skin of their teeth in the penultimate game of last term, Frank Lampard and co would have been hoping to put that gruelling campaign behind them and kick on in the 2022/23 season, although this latest news will no doubt throw a spanner in the works.
While perhaps not unexpected – with the former Watford man having long been linked with a departure – that will do little to soften the blow, with the club having been so reliant on the £45m-rated gem in recent years.
The 2021/22 campaign saw the 36-cap international help to steer Lampard’s men away from danger with ten goals and five assists in 30 league games, having largely shouldered the goalscoring burden alone following Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s dismal, injury-hit season.
Since joining Everton from Vicarage Road on a £50m deal back in 2018, Richarlison has gone on to score 53 goals and supply 14 assists in 152 games across all competitions, with only six players having scored more league goals for the club in the Premier League era.
There may be a small silver lining that the Toffees can rake in a fairly sizeable fee with any sale, although as they have proved under the Farhad Moshiri regime, the club have rarely invested wisely in the transfer market.
Those at Finch Farm will seemingly be powerless to prevent a departure – with just two years remaining on the player’s contract – with the one-time Fluminese man seemingly craving Champions League football, something that Antonio Conte’s side can offer.
At present, Everton are a world away from mixing it with Europe’s elite, with the versatile forward’s exit only set to widen the gap between themselves and the top six.
As for Lampard, the former Chelsea boss may only be a few months into his tenure at the club, although will be acutely aware of the scale of the job at hand, with losing a player of such importance and quality only set to be another unwanted headache.
The Englishman will no doubt be fuming if he is forced to head into next term without his key asset in tow, having previously lavished him with praise for his “work ethic” and labelled him a “pleasure” to coach earlier this term.
It appears that he may not be coaching the player for much longer…
AND in other news – “Interested…”: Insider drops big Everton transfer update, supporters will be buzzing