Richarlison is "not going anywhere" this summer, according to Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou, who says keeping the striker fit is the key to getting the best from him.
Richarlison is in contention to start against his former club Everton on Saturday after summer signing Dominic Solanke was ruled out with an ankle injury, but Postecoglou says the Brazilian is not ready to play 90 minutes.
Richarlison scored 11 goals in 28 Premier League appearances for Spurs last term but his campaign was disrupted by injuries, including a hamstring strain in May which left him unable to feature in pre-season.
"He’s fit to start the game because he’s training but can he play 90 minutes? No," Postecoglou said. "That’s where the decision lies. He came on last week. But match fitness is different and he hasn’t played a minute in pre-season. It’s where we give him his minutes."
Richarlison scored twice against the Toffees in a 2-2 draw in February, part of a run of nine goals in ten games which also included a goal in the home fixture.
Asked how Spurs could consistently get the best from the 27-year-old, who cost £60m in summer 2022, Postecoglou said: "[Injuries] are a big part. The Everton game last year, that was a spell of him playing really regularly.
“I thought last year that whenever he got a series of games, he just looked better and better but invariably an injury hit.
“That chance the other night [in Monday's 1-1 draw at Leicester], if he had a full pre-season and a half a dozen games, he probably buries it because he’s so good in the air.
“I remember last year, I think it was Sheffield United where he had a very similar header and buried it but he’d had a pre-season.
“That’s the thing with Richy, it’s trying to get him fit. Obviously we have to be a little bit careful with him because he hasn’t played for quite a while.
Whenever he’s been fit and available, I’ve always chosen him because he’s a handful for oppositions
“I’ve said before, whenever he’s been fit and available, I’ve always chosen him because he’s a handful for oppositions. He’s a real physical presence in the box, he’s a good finisher, he works hard for the team.
“But hopefully now getting Dom in, the whole idea is that we can share that workload and not be so reliant on one player.
“I think he’s still at a good age, Richy, where he can still play some fantastic football for us and we’ve got to make sure we keep him fit and manage his workload so we can get the best out of him."
Solanke's arrival in a £65m deal from Bournemouth raised questions about Richarlison's future at Spurs but Postecoglou wants "two recognised" centre-forwards in his squad. Richarlison has turned down interest from Saudi Arabia this summer and described Tottenham as his "home".
"Richy is not going anywhere but if he did leave, I’d definitely sign another striker," Postecoglou continued.
“We had that issue last year where we were really short in that area. To be fair, the whole pre-season we played without a striker. I was playing Deki Kulusevski through there the whole pre-season because we hadn’t signed Dom and Richy was out.
“It makes a difference to how we play having a striker in there. It’s really important to us to have two recognised strong strikers in the team.
"[Richy's] not one we were looking to move on. Not from my perspective anyway. We need two strikers and that’s what we’ve got."
Solanke did not miss a single game for Bournemouth last season but is already facing a spell on the sidelines after hurting his ankle on his Spurs debut at Leicester.
Asked if he would be fit for the north London derby on September 15, Postecoglou said: "It's not serious enough to keep him out for five weeks, he's still a chance for the Newcastle game [on September 1]. That's the extent of it, it's just about how quickly he recovers.”
"He's a big man and I have always said this to footballers: 'nothing runs smoothly’," Postecoglou added. "We didn't sign Dom for one match and he knows that. He's here hopefully for a long time to have a real impact at this club and bring success to it.
"I was excited with what we saw last week and this is just a small bump in the road. I'm sure he will be looking forward to getting back out there."
