Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing Premier League defeat to Brighton when they welcome West Ham United to North London on October 19.
Against the Seagulls, Ange Postecoglou's side threw away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2, conceding three within just 21 second-half minutes.
Postecoglou described the defeat as unacceptable. "Disappointing, frustrated and absolutely gutted with that. Worst defeat since I've been here," the 59-year-old, who took over as Tottenham manager in June 2023, said after the match. “Nowhere near where we should be," he added.
Tottenham star could be missing again vs West Ham
If Tottenham are to bounce back against West Ham, they may once again have to do so without striker Richarlison.
The Brazilian, who is on £90,000-per-week at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, has missed Spurs' last five Premier League matches with injury. According to injury expert Dr. Rajpal Brar, his spell on the sidelines could last longer.
“Difficult to say if he’s on track to return right after the break as it all depends on what’s going on behind the scenes,” Brar told Tottenham News after what he previously heard from the Spurs boss.
“Based on what Ange said on September 19 – stop asking until I give an update – I imagine that he’s still somewhat away from returning from what seems to be a serious concern. Unless he’s back in training over the coming days, I think he’s likely to miss the next game," he added.
Brar was reacting to Postecoglou's previous comments on Richarlison's injury, to which he said: "Richarlison is a fair way off. He’s not close to returning yet.
“You're better off not asking about him until I give an update because he's not with the first team…”
Real Madrid eyeing two Spurs stars
In other Spurs news, two of the club's most important players are reportedly being eyed by Real Madrid. The first is central defender Cristian Romero. According to reports from Spain, Madrid sent their chief scout Juni Calafat to watch both Romero play in the North London Derby against Arsenal last month.
The second Spurs player Real Madrid are also interested in signing is Pedro Porro, according to The Mirror.
"Spurs' Pedro Porro is another player of interest but again, he remains a focal part of Ange Postecoglou's plans and Daniel Levy is expected to drive a hard bargain, should Los Blancos come calling," The Mirror's Ryan Taylor wrote.
Both Porro and Romero look likely to feature under Postecoglou again this weekend as Spurs face West Ham, but by the looks of it, there will be no Richarlison. The forward has only played twice in all competitions, with both appearances coming from the bench and his last coming against former club Everton on August 24.
The Brazil international will be hoping to make a comeback as quickly as he can, but after Brar's recent claim, he may still be far away in what is a "serious concern".