Tottenham's transfer window has got off to a very good start, with Antonio Conte already welcoming four new arrivals to his squad. ENIC's £150million investment, along with Champions League football next season, are both likely to have helped Spurs secure their signings so far.
There are still players from across the world being linked with moves to N17 and there are likely to be more deals that are completed this summer. Conte is about to start his expected tough pre-season with his squad, ahead of a big 2022/23 campaign.
Richarlison became the latest addition to the Spurs squad, with his five-year deal, worth up to £60m, announced on Friday. The 25-year-old makes the move from Everton and not only adds quality to the Italian's side, he also adds depth to the squad, allowing for rotation next season.
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The Brazilian scored 10 goals and registered five assists in his 30 Premier League appearances last season and played a key part in helping save the Toffees from relegation. Before Richarlison secured his move to the capital, his fellow Brazil international Gabriel Jesus was linked with Tottenham.
The Manchester City man made 17 goal contributions in his 28 league games last season for his Premier League title-winning side. The Brazlian duo had very different journeys during the 2021/22 campaign and either player could have added quality to a Conte side.
It is Richarlison who is making the move to N17, however, whilst Jesus' exit to Man City for Arsenal, is just awaiting confirmation after a £45million fee was agreed. There is no denying the quality the duo have and it is difficult to compare the two, when you look at the sides they were playing in last season.
One positive statistic for Spurs is that, since making his Premier League debut for Everton in 2018, Richarlison is the second top-scoring Brazilian across Europe’s top five leagues and has scored five more goals than Jesus, according to Opta. This reiterates the impact the former Everton man can have on a team.
Goals aren't everything and if you look at the statistics from last season in the Premier League, the City player does top a lot of them. However, can you really compare them?
Jesus was playing in a very strong side, who apart from Liverpool, finished at least 19 points ahead of everyone else in the league. Playing with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva, the 25-year-old had major quality around him to help in front of goal.
Richarlison on the other hand, was playing in a team who were battling for relegation until the final few games of the season. The fact he still managed to score crucial goals for his side, to help they stay up, says a lot about him as a player.
When you look at the defensive stats, Richarlison made more tackles (22 more), more clearances (27 more) and won more aerial battles (45 more) than Jesus. The duo are attackers, both with the versatility to play across the front three. But every team counts on the whole squad to work together and this requires defensive work too.
Both players have Premier League experience, are Brazilian, can play across an attacking three and are 25 so on paper, do have a fair few similarities. It will be interesting to see how they both get on at their new clubs.
Jesus making the move to Arsenal is arguably a step down, based on how the two sides did last season, as well as the 25-year-old moving away from the opportunity to play in the Champions League next season, to a side that only have Europa League football. Richarlison is making a big step-up, although this has caused some split opinion, to a club that are going from strength to strength, since the arrival of Conte.
The ex-Everton man will have opportunities to play in the top European competition and hopefully help Tottenham end their 14-year trophy drought. Pundits in the world of football have been having their say on the Brazilian duo and Tony Cascarino gave his verdict on talkSPORT last week.
"I think Gabriel Jesus ticks a lot more boxes and they’ve got him at a better price. If you said to me now who will get the most goals, I’d say Gabriel Jesus would get more goals than Richarlison for Tottenham," he said, as quoted by The Mirror. "He’s more versatile than Richarlison. Gabriel Jesus has played left wing, right wing and centre forward for Man City.
"He’s got an incredible work ethic. He plays every time I watch him like Richarlison did at the end of the season. I’d love to see Richarlison be the player he can be and get all of the other antics out of his game and become a far more complete player."
However, as mentioned above, both players have experienced playing at very different clubs and under very different managers. Football will always split opinion but only time will tell who thrives the most at their new club.
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