Although the season is still early, it is reasonable to state that Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League campaign has not exactly gotten off to the best start.
The first game saw Ange Postecoglou’s team tie 1-1 away to Leicester City. They subsequently defeated Everton 4-0 on the road before falling short 2-1 at Newcastle United.
The North Londoners still have a lot of time to have a successful season, but they will need players like James Maddison to be at the top of their game and squad members like Richarlison to be healthy and prepared to perform when needed.
Even though those two are extremely skilled, a former Spurs player who departed the team quietly last year has actually showed them up.
The recent version of Maddison and Richarlison.
Let’s begin with Richarlison, who has spent a whole season in North London. Although he is a gifted forward, it is difficult to characterize his transfer as a success at this moment.
The former Everton star could only generate a pitiful return of three goals and four assists in 35 games during his debut season with the Lilywhites. Although he did show improvement in the previous season, when comparing the two, he had a very poor goal involvement rate of 2.86 games for a center-forward, scoring 12 goals and dishing out four assists in 31 games.
Regretfully, the Brazilian will have to settle for a squad position for the foreseeable future after the club spent £65 million on Dominic Solanke this summer due to his lackluster rate of return.
Now, although Maddison’s playing time will undoubtedly be restricted this season—that is, if he can maintain his fitness—the marksman from Nova Venécia won’t.
The Englishman paid £40 million to join the North Londoners in the summer of last year. Despite a somewhat lackluster finish to the season—which was undoubtedly partly caused by his injury problems—he still managed to score four goals and dish out nine assists in 30 games for Postecoglou, or one goal every 2.30 games.
Even if the former Foxes star had moments last season when he truly showed his abilities, a former Spurs great who departed the team in the summer has disparaged both him and Richarlison for separate reasons.
The recent form of Lucas Moura.
Yes, the guy in question is Lucas Moura. He left the Lilywhites after five and a half seasons to return home on a free transfer to São Paulo, his original club.
While he played 3173 minutes of football in his first full season with the club, the 32-year-old’s final few seasons in North London saw him relegated to an off-the-bench alternative. In his final campaign, he played only 394 minutes in 19 appearances.
The Brazilian star will always be remembered by the supporters for his incredible hat-trick against Ajax in May 2019, which secured the team’s spot in their first-ever Champions League final. The less said about the following game, the better, even though he didn’t quite live up to the potential he had at the club.
Once Mauricio Pochettino, the former manager, brought the 5’8 “superhero” back to São Paulo, he exceeded Maddison the previous season and, although he matches Richarlison’s productivity, he beats him in another area.
For instance, the right-footed ace scored nine goals and supplied seven assists in his 33 games last season, handily surpassing the Englishman’s haul of 13 goal involvements and equal his compatriot’s tally of 16.
| Lucas Moura’s 23/24 | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 33 |
| Goals | 9 |
| Assists | 7 |
| Goal Involvements per Match | 0.4 |
Though the 27-year-old was cut by the Brazilian national team back in May, he has since been added to the group once again, so he has the former Toffees star beat.
Although Moura has excelled Maddison on the field and earned a berth in the Selecao’s team where Richarlison hasn’t, his departure from Spurs last summer ultimately worked out for him. As a result, it’s unlikely that the North Londoners will be interested in bringing him back anytime soon.
Leave a Comment