Richarlison is loving his Tottenham revival and Thomas Frank’s eye for details
By Simon Peach, PA Chief Football Writer
Reinvigorated Tottenham forward Richarlison is loving working under meticulous new boss Thomas Frank at a club he never wanted to leave.
The 28-year-old only managed 24 appearances and five goals during an injury-disrupted 2024/25 campaign that was followed by renewed speculation about his future.
Richarlison was mentioned as a possible makeweight in Spurs’ attempt to sign Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, but the forward has never had any intention of leaving north London.
The Brazil international made that clear to Frank on his first day in the job and the new manager’s supportive response was music to his ears.
“It was very important,” Richarlison said of that chat. “Since I got here, every time the transfer window opens, my name is circled as one who could leave – going back to Brazil or wherever.
“But I’ve always been focused on Tottenham and I’ve never had a conversation about leaving. I’m in a good moment.
“I hope to continue working hard and getting the opportunity to give my best.”
Richarlison has hit the ground running under Frank, with an impressive performance in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris St Germain followed by a brace as Spurs beat Burnley 3-0 in their Premier League opener.
The Brazil international provided the cross for Brennan Johnson’s opener in Saturday’s 2-0 victory at Manchester City and the former Everton star wants more.
“I’m very happy to be back,” Richarlison told Brazilian broadcasters. “After a long time, I was able to do a full pre-season.
“Since the PSG game, I’ve been playing with a rhythm that I’ve not had for a while – so I’ve been able to get into that.
“I’ve been able to play a good game and this is the result of a pre-season that was very good for me.
“Now I want to be able to continue like this and play like this.
“There’s been a lot of meetings (under Frank) – but I like that – meetings every day.
“I’m improving the tactical part and I’m training well to improve – hopefully that comes in handy for our defenders.
“When it was our second goal, we were able to steal the ball and the goal came out. As I said, I’m going to continue like this, working hard and hopefully things will happen.”
Tottenham will attempt to rack up another victory when they host Bournemouth next Saturday, with City heading to Brighton the following day looking to bounce back from a disappointing defeat.
Ruben Dias, who this week signed a new four-year deal at the Etihad Stadium, said: “Spurs are a team who can be very dangerous, they started the game very well.
“We didn’t react the best way in sticking to our game. The second goal is unfortunate, it cannot happen. We chased but there was a lot of things to do better.
“Not everything was good in our first game and not everything is bad now so we have to get back to work.
“It’s frustrating, we want to win even more at home in front of our fans in our first home game. It is what it is, it’s football and we look forward.”