"I think he has a shocking record" - Pundit makes bold comments on Richarlison and names him among the worst players in the Premier League
Pundit Jan Bothryd reckons Tottenham Hotspur attacker Richarlison is one of the worst Premier League strikers at the moment.
The 26-year-old Brazil international has 49 goals and 22 goals in 204 appearances in the English top flight for three different clubs. However, only one of his goals - in 31 league appearances - have come with his current club, Spurs, who bought Richarlison for £60 million last summer.
On Sky Sports' Saturday Social, Bothryd gave Richarlison an 'E' grade, slamming him for his 'shocking' record and missing a litany of chances. While acknowledging his overall play and game intellinge, the pundit reckons Richarlison has hardly lived up to his price tag or done justice to his No. 9 role at Spurs:
“I think he’s an E. I think he has a shocking record. He misses a lot of chances. He works hard, but his overall play and his intelligence on the pitch, I can only put him in E."
He continued:
“27 appearances, one goal for Tottenham, it’s an E. In terms of his pricetag and what he’s done at Tottenham, as a number nine, you have to score goals. He's underperformed.”
While Richarlison has indeed struggled at Spurs, 15 of his 31 Premier League appearances for them have been off the bench.
However, it's noteworthy that the Brazilian has only recorded double-digit league tallies thrice in six full seasons in the English top flight, never scoring more than 13 times (twice, both for Everton).
How has Richarlison fared in international football?
Tottenham Hotspur attacker Richarlison has fared decently in international football with Brazil since his senior debut in a 2-0 friendly win over the USA in 2018 in the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Just four days later, he opened his account for the Selecao with a brace and an assist in a 5-0 rout of El Salvador in another friendly. In his next eight appearances - all friendlies - the attacker notched up three more goals and as many assists.
In his first competitive appearance at the 2019 Copa America, Richarlison scored in the 3-1 win over Peru in the final, which was also his first international goal for the Selecao.
Since then, he has appeared in another Copa America and the FIFA World Cup (2022). He has an overall record of 20 goals and eight assists in 45 appearances, with 11 of those goals (in 23 games) coming in competitive matches.