Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison is targeting a return from injury in next week’s north London derby against Arsenal.
The Brazil international has been unavailable for Spurs since he suffered a hamstring injury in their 4-1 victory over Aston Villa on November 3.
The 27-year-old struggled with a calf issue at the beginning of the campaign which means he has been restricted to only seven appearances in all competitions this season and six of them were from the bench.
Dominic Solanke, Tottenham’s club-record signing, has started 17 of their 20 games in the Premier League this season. Head coach Ange Postecoglou has spoken about the need to provide Solanke with a rest and on Tuesday, before the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool, he gave a positive update on Richarlison.
“He is training,” Postecoglou said. “The whole plan with him, with what has happened this year, was to give him two full solid weeks of training. His second week will be next week and if he gets through that he will be fine.”
When he was asked to confirm exactly when Richarlison could feature, Postecoglou said: “All being well, we’re hoping by Arsenal next week (January 15) he should be available.”
With Richarlison and Mikey Moore both back in training, Tottenham’s injury crisis is slowly starting to ease although they are exploring a potential loan deal for Paris Saint-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani.
‘Significant boost for Spurs’
Analysis by Jay Harris
Richarlison’s return will be a significant boost for Spurs but they need to manage him carefully. He has struggled with injuries ever since he joined Tottenham from Everton in July 2022 for £60million and it will take time for him to reach full fitness. He was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer but decided to stay.
When Richarlison was available last season, there were small glimpses of his quality which suggested he could fit Postecoglou’s system perfectly. He scored eight goals in nine league games between December 2023 and January 2024.
Richarlison primarily plays centrally but could offer Postecoglou an alternative option on the left wing to Son Heung-Min and Timo Werner who have both underperformed this season.
(Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
