Frank Lampard insists he isn’t surprised by Richarlison’s bright start for Tottenham Hotspur and has questioned whether eyebrows raised by the Brazilian’s displays this term are due to some kind of preconceptions about Everton. The 25-year-old, who won an Olympic gold medal after finishing top scorer in the men’s football tournament at the Games in 2021, departed Goodison Park in a £60million transfer this summer.
Although he’s yet to score for Spurs in the Premier League, Richarlison has helped his new side to third in the table and netted twice in the Champions League so far. Ahead of the player’s potential reunion against his former club on Saturday, Lampard said: “I’m not surprised and I don’t know why the rest of the world should be surprised, whether it’s because he came from Everton, I don’t how glamorous that might be for some people. It shouldn’t be the case.
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“He’s a very, very talented player. Even when he was here, he was always Brazil’s number nine or off the side and when you think about the competition for places that he’s got in that team, so I think he’s well-respected in the football world.
“So maybe there were other things that some people were not so keen on. I always found him a pleasure to work with, I enjoyed working with him.
“We know him very well but his style was slightly unpredictable, that’s probably one of the big pluses with him, how he plays, he’s a threat at all times. We’re aware of the threat but we’ll have to try and nullify it.”
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