One of the positives of pre-season so far for Tottenham Hotspur has been the goalscoring exploits of Richarlison, the maverick Brazilian picking up where he left off in 2025/26.
Fresh from having hit 11 Premier League goals last term, the 29-year-old has scored twice already on tour this summer, first prodding home from Mathys Tel’s pull-back against Auckland FC.
It was also the former Everton man who popped up to snatch a winner for the ten-man Lilywhites against rivals Chelsea, showcasing his poacher’s instincts again to turn home after Jamie Donley’s initial effort had struck the post.
As Roberto De Zerbi admitted post-match, however, there is real uncertainty over whether Richarlison will actually stay in north London beyond deadline day – might now actually be the time to sell?
Why it’s the right time for Spurs to sell Richarlison
Richarlison’s status as Tottenham’s top scorer from last season may matter little, just ask Brennan Johnson, with there a feeling that he’s reached the end of the road at N17.
As De Zerbi alluded to, the polarising forward is flitting between wanting to stay and wanting to leave, with his future a hot topic considering there is just a year left to run on his existing deal.
From a Spurs perspective, sources informed Football FanCast earlier this summer that Richarlison was likely to be one of four high-profile players sold, particularly amid the risk of losing him for nothing.
As he showed last season, the one-time Watford man can be an effective presence in front of goal, but he’s certainly not irreplaceable, far from it.
Indeed, De Zerbi’s forward line still appears in need of a fresh lick of paint, with Richarlison perhaps set to be a casualty of any new arrivals, not least considering his underwhelming record for the club to date.
Since joining for a bumper £60m fee in 2022, he’s scored just 27 league goals. For comparison, in his four years on Merseyside, the South American scored 43 top-flight goals for the Toffees.
He’s regressed rather than kicked on since the move, with that sizeable investment not exactly proving fruitful for the north Londoners.
How Spurs could be set for Richarlison repeat
It’s fair to say Tottenham’s big-money moves haven’t paid off to date, with the £65m purchase of Dominic Solanke not exactly working out either, following the prior woes of Tanguy Ndombele.
Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus, signed for £51m and £55m, respectively, have both been beset by injury, while it’s too early to judge the £185m splashed out on Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.
Spending big, as the cases of Richarlison, Solanke and Ndombele illustrate, doesn’t always correlate to a successful signing. Will Cody Gakpo be a similar story?
As noted by reporter Alex Crook – speaking on talkSPORT’s YouTube channel – Tottenham do hold an interest in the Liverpool man, although it will likely take a “massive bid” to tempt the Anfield side into a sale.
“[Liverpool’s] talks with PSG over Bradley Barcola, what could that mean for the future of Cody Gakpo. Tottenham would love to sign him.
He’s another of those potential winger targets alongside the likes of Savinho, but I’ve had it on pretty good authority that Liverpool don’t plan to cash in on Cody Gakpo this summer.
“They believe he’s a player who can really thrive under their new gaffer, Andoni Iraola. So, I think it would take a massive bid from Spurs.”
Prior reports speculated that Liverpool could use Anthony Gordon’s £69m move to Barcelona as something of a benchmark, ensuring Gakpo certainly won’t come cheap.
Another costly arrival from Merseyside, like Richarlison, the Dutchman certainly has a likeness to his Brazilian counterpart, and not just positionally.
Both men are players who thrive in that left channel, not your archetypal flying winger, but also not necessarily an orthodox number nine, instead finding themselves somewhere in between.
|
Gakpo Record vs ‘Big Six’ |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Club |
Games |
Goals (Assists) |
|
Arsenal |
10 |
1 (1) |
|
Spurs |
9 |
4 (3) |
|
Chelsea |
9 |
1 (0) |
|
Man Utd |
8 |
5 (0) |
|
Man City |
8 |
1 (0) |
Richarlison, during his time in England in general, but at Spurs specifically, has certainly split opinion, with the same also true of Gakpo, the ex-PSV Eindhoven man struggling for that real consistency in a Liverpool shirt.
He’s effective at his best, as his 24 goals in 54 games for his country highlight, while he can deliver on the big occasion, scoring four career goals against Spurs in just nine meetings to date.
And yet, Gakpo has never really shown that he can go to that next level, never going beyond ten goals in a Premier League season, while also never exceeding five assists.
His total record for Liverpool stands at 50 goals in 180 games, while Richarlison scored 53 in 152 during his own spell on Merseyside.
Gakpo’s tale is certainly similar to Richarlison’s time at Spurs too, the latter man twice reaching 11 league goals in 2025/26 and 2023/24, yet netting just five league goals combined in his other two seasons in north London. He’s also never gone beyond four assists in a campaign since 2022.
Like Gakpo, he’s certainly had his moments, scoring six times in 18 career meetings with Liverpool – his joint-best return against any opponent – but the same lack of consistency and genuine quality has been evident.
And so, if Gakpo is to be the man to replace Richarlison, might it just be a case of trading like for like?