Reliable journalist: Spurs fighting London rivals to sign ‘quality’ pressing monster

Tottenham Hotspur are facing an all-London battle to sign Everton forward Richarlison this summer, claims The Daily Mail’s Chief Football Reporter, Sami Mokbel.

Despite a poor season for Everton with Frank Lampard side’s narrowly avoiding Premier League relegation, the Brazil international was one of the only bright sparks holding the Toffees together, awarded the highest average match rating across the campaign out of the entire squad (via SofaScore).

The 25-year-old was the Blues’ top scorer with ten league goals, adding to his overall Toffees tally which now sits at 53 in 152 appearances for the club.

A number of rumours have emerged linking Richarlison with a move away from Goodison Park this summer, namely to Tottenham, but it looks like they have some serious competition.

Mokbel has now revealed the latest news regarding Richarlison’s transfer saga.

Taking to Twitter, Lilywhites news channel The Spurs Express shared Mokbel’s latest update: “Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea are in a battle for Richarlison.”

Analysing the Brazilian’s underlying stats, it is easy to see why Fabio Paratici is so keen on signing Everton’s pressing monster this summer.

Compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, Richarlison ranks in the 99th percentile for blocks, 92nd for pressures, 95th for tackles and in the 93rd percentile for interceptions (via FB Ref).

With Antonio Conte’s style of play reliant on defensive contributions from the wing-backs and forwards, the 25-year-old would fit perfectly into the Lilywhites’ squad in a variety of attacking positions.

This would no doubt be a great signing for Tottenham, given Carlo Ancelotti’s assessment that the winger also has bags of ‘quality’ to match his tenacity.

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