When Everton decided to pay £40 million for Richarlison from Watford, many football watchers expressed their surprise.
The 21-year-old Brazilian hardly set the world alight at Watford, though he was far from the worst player there either.
It just seemed to be an indication of how ridiculous the transfer market, particularly in relation to Premier League clubs, had become.
New Toffees boss, Marco Silva, asked for patience and calm to allow the player to settle in, convinced that the youngster has the qualities to help Everton bring back the glory days of the mid-1980s.
He also took a swipe at those pundits who’d questioned the size of the fee, citing the capture of Jordan Pickford as the prime example.
With the keeper now England’s confirmed choice at No.1, no one is taking about how much Everton paid for him.
Silva also noted that prices between Premier League clubs are at a dangerously high level, but that they have faith in the player and the price is the price. Don’t’ want to pay it? Don’t get the player. Simple.
After three goals in his first two games, Richarlison is already making a number of journalists and supporters eat their words.
Lively, quick and with a super eye for goal, at this present moment, the world is the Brazilian’s oyster.
How well he develops from this point requires diligence and determination as well as a guiding hand, and Silva is best placed to deliver the latter, bearing in mind they’ve worked together before, to mutual benefit.
His team-mates have enjoyed having a front man to relieve the pressure too. A ball over the top is no longer aimless with Richarlison so keen to impress that he’ll literally chase anything. Nothing is a lost cause.
It’s no real surprise that opposition teams have already targeted him and are ‘roughing him up.’ A real threat when he gets into his stride, he’s very difficult to shake off of the ball in full flight and is deceptively strong for a slightly built front man.
His presence has also allowed others to benefit from having more freedom across the pitch too, that superior movement creating space in almost every attack Everton have.
Perhaps his colleagues could take a leaf out of his book, because it’s already been noticed that on occasions they are one or two steps behind the quick-thinking striker.
His hunger won’t abate either.
That’s due to the fact that Brazilian national team coach, Tite, has left Richarlison out of both of the Selecao’s next two games against the United States and El Salvador.
He waited for a call that never came, and then took out his disappointment on Southampton.
It remains one of his three ambitions for this season; a call up to the senior Brazil squad, become the Golden Boot in the Premier League and take Everton back to the Champions League.
There will still be those that’ll scoff at such fanciful notions, but they’ll be the same people who were criticising his move to Everton and are now left with egg on their faces.
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