Tottenham‘s 3-0 defeat last Saturday was a timely reminder that simply spending your way out of trouble is easier said than done.
Sure, Spurs will make improvements the longer the campaign goes on but after a summer of splashing the cash, it was a worrying start to the new season.
Fortunately for Roberto De Zerbi, more money is being thrown at the side and this week is very much about improving their attack.
Savinho has arrived in a £75m deal from Manchester City and Omar Marmoush is also due to sign in the forthcoming days. For Richarlison, those signings do not bode well.
What the future holds for Richarlison at Spurs
The fact that the Lilywhites started the new season with Richarlison leading the attack was rather damning, as was the fact he finished 2025/26 as their top scorer with 12.
The Brazilian has always been something of a scapegoat in these parts and with De Zerbi refreshing his squad, there was a feeling that he would be one of the first to exit.
Yet, with a week of the window left, he is still at the club, even despite links to Everton over the summer.
The arrivals of Marmoush and Savinho will not help his case for regular minutes and on the evidence of his display last weekend, he does not deserve that game time anyway.
Richarlison was one of the stars of pre-season, scoring three goals as De Zerbi’s men went unbeaten. Yet, as the Premier League campaign kicked off the forward reverted to type. His performance against Brentford was lacklustre, laboured and, quite frankly, anonymous.
Fielded as the leading striker, he unforgivably gave the ball away in the build-up to the second goal and would go on to leave the pitch after the hour mark having failed to have a shot. He also completed just eight passes.
The signing of Marmoush will represent a big upgrade but they need more if they are to really banish Richarlison for good. Fortunately for supporters, the recruitment team are working hard to fix that exact problem.
Spurs must sign £70m Richarlison upgrade this week
This transfer window has been completed in three parts for Tottenham.
At the start of it, they welcomed defenders Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke in double quick time. The middle stage saw club-record midfielders Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali walk through the door.
Now, in the final stages of the market, Spurs are aiming to bolster their attacking ranks. Savinho and Marmoush are a good start but they would like one more. Football FanCast sources believe that Chelsea duo Nicolas Jackson and Mykhailo Mudryk are both on their radar.
Yet, the primary objective is to bring Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo to north London. That is the word of talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook who took to social media on Tuesday to reveal that Tottenham are still “pushing” to seal the Dutchman’s signature and while Manchester City have burst into the race over the last 24 hours, a move there is currently deemed “unlikely”. Therefore, Spurs are still in pole position here.
Reportedly valued at £70m, this would certainly be one of the best moves Spurs have made during an incredibly busy summer, not just because of what he could offer on the pitch, but because it could finally be a deal that forces Richarlison out of the English capital.
Last term, the Brazilian actually scored more goals (12) than Gakpo did (9) but that doesn’t tell the full story in the slightest. Indeed, the Netherlands star is a player who bagged as many as 18 in all competitions during Liverpool’s title-winning campaign under Arne Slot.
Described as “one of the best finishers in the world” by Liverpool writer and novelist Paul Tomkins, as a whole, the numbers are much more in favour of Gakpo.
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Richarlison vs Gakpo: 2025/26 league stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Richarlison |
Gakpo |
|
Non-penalty goals |
0.51 |
0.23 |
|
Shots |
2.81 |
2.85 |
|
Open play expected assists |
0.07 |
0.14 |
|
Open play big chances created |
0.23 |
0.29 |
|
Shot-ending carries |
0.37 |
1.31 |
|
Successful dribbles |
0.55 |
1.11 |
|
Progressive carries |
0.92 |
3.18 |
|
Progressive passes |
1.01 |
2.00 |
Now, given Richarlison’s performance levels over the last year, it will not come as much of a surprise to see Gakpo top him but the sheer difference in quality is remarkable.
Tottenham’s number 9 did end up with more non-penalty goals but in every other metric, the Liverpool winger wiped the floor with him. One of the biggest positives about Gakpo is his positivity and progressive nature.
Compared to wingers in Europe’s top five leagues last season, he ranked among the top 3% for progressive actions, completing as many 5.18. He’s also supremely creative, ranking in the top 16% for expected assists in open play.
Expected Assists (xA) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a pass becoming a goal assist.
Richarlison has been long been someone to blame when things go wrong and in comparison to Gakpo, the efficiency difference is clear to see. While the former is wasteful, the latter is a productivity machine. The fact he had scored more than 16 goals in each of the four seasons prior to 2025/26 says it all.
It’ll be an expensive and complex deal to get done but if it means Spurs fans no longer have to see Richarlison up top, they won’t care one bit.
