Spurs star risks being their biggest waste of money since Richarlison

Ange Postecoglou said something curious before Mr Marinakis sacked him from his short-lived job at Nottingham Forest. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss has spoken with regret about Harry Kane and how he wishes he had enjoyed the England captain’s services for at least a year.

Kane left for Bayern Munich in 2023, ending his career with Spurs just months after writing his name into the history books as the club’s all-time top scorer.

More than two years on, it would take a bold argument to claim that the Londoners have effectively replaced their old talisman, with Dominic Solanke plagued by injuries since his arrival in 2024 and Richarlison, himself injury-prone, too inconsistent in front of goal.

Richarlison’s season in numbers

Thomas Frank is implementing a new style of play at Tottenham, and it has been a good start for the former Brentford boss, with his Spurs side just two points behind second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League.

However, his statement at the start of the campaign that Richarlison would be his starting number nine did not remain true for that long, with the Brazilian having started from the bench in each of Tottenham’s last two league matches.

He may have scored a brace on the opening day of the season, against Burnley, but the 28-year-old has since scored just one goal in 11 matches in all competitions, with the ever-outspoken Gabby Agbonlahor claiming Spurs have a problem with the dynamic striker, who will benefit from a purple patch and then “give absolutely nothing” over the coming weeks.

We know that the Saudi Pro League have recently shown interest in signing Richarlison, and Everton were also linked with their former striker this summer.

He never really lived up to the price tag at Tottenham, and it would hardly be a shock if he was sold in 2026. For a high price and proven success beforehand, it’s not unreasonable that the club could have hoped for more at this stage, and it may even be that the new version was signed this summer.

Richarlison’s new version of Spurs

Tottenham showed their ambition this summer, and the £51 million signing of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig was the headline signing.

The 22-year-old had been chased by Chelsea all summer, but Spurs swooped in in August and landed the ‘superstar’ of a talent, which was exactly what journalist Graeme Bailey confirmed the north London bosses thought they had gotten.

So far we haven’t seen this world-class talent, with Simons having scored one goal and remaining goalless in eight appearances in all competitions.

Lots of talent, a high price tag and consistency concerns: could Simons be the next version of Richarlison?

When plying his trade at PSV Eindhoven, for example, the Dutchman put in an outstanding performance against Arsenal in the Europa League and so clearly has the skills to thrive against the Premier League’s best.

And, what’s more, he shares with Richarlison the desire to stay stuck in and contribute defensively. His physique could use a little work, of course, but the 5-foot-6 talent has the right profile.

However, he has yet to demonstrate his prolific qualities under Frank’s wing, and if some inequality on the production front becomes a marker of Simons’ move to Spurs, he could very well end up leaving with a reputation similar to that of Richarlison: talented and tenacious, but lacking in consistency.

Arriving at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a high fee and with plenty of expectations, there are parallels between Tottenham’s signing of Simons and that old deal for Richarlison.

There is of course plenty of time for Simons to get up to speed, but with injured duo James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski waiting in the wings, there is no doubt he needs to start proving his worth and helping Tottenham to success as this new chapter begins.