Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Everton are considering a move for an out-of-favour Spurs star
Sign up to our newsletter for the most distinctive football content delivered direct to your inbox
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to 3 Added Minutes, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
Submitting...
The 2025 summer transfer window is fast approaching and one of the big stories doing the rounds in the rumour mill this week involves a potential homecoming for former Everton fan favourite Richarlison.
The Brazilian international left Goodison Park to join Tottenham in a blockbuster £60m deal in the summer of 2022. Richarlison said when he signed for Spurs: "I always said my dream was to play in the Champions League and now this dream will come true. Maybe I will cry because it will be a special moment. When the time comes I'll be quite emotional."
While his manager at the time, Antonio Conte added: "We signed Richy because we tried to sign a player that was able to play in all three positions. For this reason we hadn't had any doubts to sign him. We did this quickly because our idea and vision was very clear, especially for this reason.”
Richarlison won the hearts of Everton fans with his passion, assists, technical ability and his goal-scoring qualities.He finished as Everton’s joint-top scorer across all competitions in his opening two seasons on Merseyside and reached double figures in three of the four seasons with the club.
He was arguably the defining factor behind the club’s escape from relegation under Frank Lampard and someone many Blues fans came to adore after his match-winning strike at Anfield in 2021 which ended the club’s 22-year wait for a Merseyside Derby win away from home.
Why Richarlison could leave Tottenham Hotspur
Simply put, Richarlison has struggled to hit the same heights at Tottenham that he managed during his time at Merseyside. In his first term, he scored just one league goal and four assists and didn't get off the mark in the Premier League until April. He started just 12 games and largely played second fiddle to Harry Kane.
He never really produced his best form for Antonio Conte or Ryan Mason as Spurs failed to qualify for Europe, but under Ange Postecoglou he seemed to find his feet again with 11 goals and four assists, with three of those strikes notably coming against Everton.
However, he’s failed to build on that in his third season, and after falling behind Dominic Solanke and suffering a string of injuries, Richarlison has scored four league goals in 12 appearances while only making the starting XI on three occasions.
It’s likely Spurs will change manager after a calamitous league campaign, unless they can somehow get their hands on silverware in the Europa League and it’s strongly suspected by Everton News that the club could make a move for Richarilson, whose future in the capital remains cloudy.
Clearly Richarilson’s affinity to Everton hasn’t gone away, with the forward clashing with Liverpool’s Curtis Jones, when he poked fun at the Toffee’s 30-year trophy drought during the last league game at Anfield. Many feel the striker’s departure from Everton was done reluctantly due to financial matters, rather than the player himself pressing for a transfer. It could in many ways be compared to Duncan Ferguson’s exit to Newcastle in the 1990s with that case subsequently ending in a sentimental homecoming.
Richarlison himself admitted, when he left Everton in 2022 that he found it hard. He posted on X: t's very difficult to say goodbye to a place that has become my home; fans who welcomed as if I were one of them; and a club that treated me kindly and helped me develop my sense of community and empathy. Neither all the love I have is enough to thank you. Love you!”
The bold summer swap deal which could suit both Everton and Spurs
Everton are in dire straits when it comes to goal this season. They have found the net just 41 times in 34 matches this term and despite improvements under David Moyes, have largely struggled in front of goal.
Matters could get worse with former talisman Dominic Calvert-Lewin not yet agreeing a contract extension with the club after another injury-ravaged season. While Armando Broja has largely failed to make an impact due to similar injury woes, with the Albanian unlikely to stay permanently after his loan deal. Everton could be left with Beto as their only natural striker option next season, and a homecoming for Richarlison makes a lot of sense for the Blues as they look to kick-start the Bramley-Moore era with plenty of excitement.
Tottenham, however, are likely to charge a sizeable fee for a player they paid £60m for three seasons ago, unless they can get something in return to facilitate the deal. At this stage, Spurs are languishing near the bottom of the table in 16th, and despite scoring 62, which is nearly double that of Everton, they have the exact opposite problem at the other end of the pitch, in the fact they can’t stop leaking goals.
The Lillywhites have conceded 56 goals this term, which is the fifth most of any team in the division, and a far cry from the European standards that the club has come to expect in recent years. The capital side are in desperate need of a long-term centre-back that can bring stability and leadership to the back four, and could potentially turn their attention towards Everton youngster Jarrad Branthwaite.
The Sun claimed earlier this month that Spurs will battle it out with Man United to secure the services of the Everton defender, who is reportedly valued at around £50m. Everton will be desperate to retain Branthwaite, who is one of the finest defenders in English football, but could accept a cut-price offer for the defender, if Richarlison moves back to Goodison as part of the deal.
It’s a move which on paper would suit both clubs, with Spurs stacked with attacking options but struggling defensively while Everton are the almost polar opposite with their issues laying in the offensive area of the pitch.However, it’s a move which comes at a risk due to Richarlison’s injury record in recent seasons, and Branthwaite’s impressive form alongside James Tarkowski in the past two seasons.