Former Liverpool and Scotland midfielder Graeme Souness has labelled Brazil’s Richarlison ‘a diver’ for his time at Everton but believes he has ‘changed’ since joining Tottenham in the summer.
Richarlison joined Everton for a fee believed to be around £50 million in 2018 from Watford, a fee heavily criticised considering the 21-year-old had only scored 5 goals in the previous campaign.
However, the Brazilian never failed to impress at EFC, scoring 13 in his first season on Merseyside and 53 across his 4 seasons at the club.
His departure to Tottenham Hotspur during the summer brought a tear to many an Evertonian’s eye, but life down south has not been as smooth sailing as expected for Richarlison.
Although he does have two Champions League goals to his name, he has failed to score in any of his 10 Premier League appearances so far for Spurs.
However, his international form has been nothing short of sensational. Despite getting knocked out of the World Cup to Croatia yesterday, Richarlison scored 3 goals in 4 World Cup appearances and an extremely impressive 20 goals in 41 appearances for the Brazilian national team.
Despite some of the best moments in the 25-year-old’s career coming whilst at Everton, former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness has taken a different view on how he has developed as a player.
Before Brazil’s round of 16 tie with South Korea, Souness had some harsh words for Richarlison’s time at EFC [via Liverpool Echo]:
“If you remember him at Everton he was a player who threw himself to the ground for fun, had a name as a diver.”
“I think Conte has sorted that out.”
“He’s more inclined to do the hard yards now, so fair play to Conte I think that’s the demand he puts on players.”
If you ask anyone that watched Everton play more than a few times last season, they would tell you without a doubt that Richarlison was one of if not the most hard-working players in the Everton squad, highlighted by his one-man charge to help EFC survive relegation last season.
His work rate alongside his unquestionable talent was a vital factor in why Tottenham decided to splash the cash to bring the Brazilian in.
Souness might need to start doing slightly more research before he makes statements like these.
Was Richarlison a 'diver' at Everton?YESNO |