Although the main focus for Tottenham fans will be the players Spurs bring in this summer to fortify a squad that finished a lowly 17th in the Premier League this past season, there's a widespread understanding that even with Champions League football secured, Spurs are going to want to sell notable players to fund the incomings.
One of the most likely of those players is striker Richarlison, who arrived in July 2022 from Everton with high hopes and a hefty 58 million euro fee. He was entering the prime of his career as a Brazil national team player and the savior of one of England's most historic clubs, and yet now, three years later, he is an unmitigated transfer bust who can scarcely stay healthy for Tottenham.
Now 28, it's clear that Richarlison has the quality in him to make difference, but that may not be at Tottenham. Everton are interested in reuniting with the star forward, and that may be very well be the best solution for both Spurs and Richarlison.
Clearly, Tottenham are a united front in the locker room, but there's no doubt that some players in the building would benefit from Richarlison's exit with a clearer picture of minutes and squad importance. The most obvious is Dominic Solanke, who was last summer's big striker investment by Tottenham at 65 million pounds from Bournemouth.
Dominic Solanke can be better next season
Although calling Solanke's first season in North London a rousing success would be a bit dishonest since he was a high-priced No. 9 who bagged a meager nine league goals in an attack-friendly scheme, Solanke did enough in the big games in the Europa League and showed enough all-around quality to be more than a failure in his first season with Spurs.
Solanke can do a lot more for Tottenham in year two, and there's optimism in that regard. Postecoglou has been high on Solanke, and the combination of the Australian coach staying and the Brazilian forward leaving would indeed be very good for the 27-year-old English 9.
Left winger Mathys Tel would, likewise, be quietly rooting for a Richarlison sale to Everton. The 20-year-old forward has world-class potential but isn't yet a guaranteed Tottenham player, as Spurs and Bayern are still working on the final fee for a permanent transfer. Tel could still end up joining Tottenham on another one-year loan deal, too.
The Frenchman's future should be in Tottenham regardless of what happens with Richarlison, but since Richarlison can return a big fee and plays as a left winger as well as a striker, his exit would undoubtedly build a stronger case for Daniel Levy to pay pretty much any price to bring Tel in as the new left winger to rotate with veteran Son Heung-min for minutes.
Finally, another youngster would stand to benefit from Richarlison being cleared out of the picture, and that is another 2024 summer signing in Frenchman Wilson Odobert. The 20-year-old didn't feature much in 2024/25 but did look good when on the pitch, and while he plays more on the right side than the left, he's another potential option on the left and would stand to increase his squad importance on the wings if Richarlison were to be sold to the Merseyside.