Tottenham Hotspur’s new Premier League season gets underway later today, with it the true beginning of the Ange Postecoglou era…
Who could replace Harry Kane?
However, his short tenure thus far has been dominated by the uncertain future of Harry Kane, which was decided just yesterday as he finally signed for Bayern Munich.
It ended months of speculation, but also has left the new boss without his star man on the eve of the new campaign, and without ample time to replace him before their clash with Brentford gets underway.
Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…
Therefore, the question remains as to who will fill the gaping vacancy left, and how the team will set up.
Despite having endured a tough debut year in north London, the outstanding candidate must be Richarlison, who has seemingly beaten his injury woes to make himself available.
How good is Richarlison?
Whilst a near-impossible task to replace the 30 goals Kane recorded in the league last season, and the 280 he has scored across his 19 years there, perhaps Postecoglou will instead look to deploy the forward who will best align with his system and help spearhead the pressing system.
After all, The Coaches Voice wrote on his style: “Under him, they pressed aggressively, often high up the pitch, after losing the ball.”
Fortunately for the Australian, he has inherited a striker more than capable of fulfilling such a system, with Postecoglou outlining Richarlison's work rate and passion that embodies this:
“He has got, and I think people dismiss it a bit, a really strong work ethic.
“He works hard for the team and a lot of what he does, does not get seen. His pressing, his runs. Sometimes he does not get the ball but he is always making those runs and he is a constant nuisance for defenders. I have said before that I really like Richy.
“He is someone who has got all of the attributes that I look for in a striker, in that he has got the strong work ethic, he is always in the right areas and he is presenting himself and making a presence of himself in the right areas for the way we play.”
Despite having scored just once in the league all season last term, this could largely be attributed to a lack of game time and the unsavoury working environment he had joined, cultivated by Antonio Conte.
After all, he did average just 38 minutes per game in the league.
Now, with a fresh, hungry and exciting new era set to be ushered in, Richarlison could finally be handed the chance to shine for a boss who will clearly put his faith in the Brazil international.
He has showcased his quality in front of goal in the past after all, scoring ten and assisting five in his final campaign with Everton, and posting a further three strikes in the recent World Cup too.
It seems that only the Lilywhites have failed to attain his true level, despite Conte still branding his £90k-per-week forward a “warrior”.
What makes him even more of a must-start is his history against the Bees, as he enjoyed a fine afternoon against them back in 2022, scoring and assisting in a disappointing loss at Goodison Park. That clash saw him earn a 7.8 Sofascore rating, the second-highest of anyone on the pitch that day.
Despite struggling with nine men, he battled away and proved to be a true nuisance for the travelling outfit. The hope will be he can emulate such a display today.
With Postecoglou needing someone to step up in their hour of need, the former Toffees hero has the chance to stamp his claim as someone who is deserving of a first-team spot every single week.
He has all the qualities to thrive within the new system, it makes perfect sense to give him that opportunity to prove everyone wrong by boldly replacing Kane at Spurs.
