Dubai: Watford’s Brazilian forward Richarlison is expected to become an Everton player in the next 24 hours and join his former Hornets boss Marco Silva at Goodison Park. The 21-year-old was having a medical at the Goodison Park club on Monday.
Sounds like a good move for Everton, who desperately need a key playmaker up front. But is a striker who has scored 33 career goals in 132 matches really worth the reported 50 million pounds the Merseysiders will fork out for him — a club record transfer fee?
Silva is a clear admirer of the Brazilian, and signed him from Fluminese in 2017 of 11.5 million pounds when he was in charge at Vicarage Road.
He started life in England in fine form. bagging five goals in his first 12 Premier League matches. But he has not scored since November.
Silva, who took over from Sam Allardyce at the end of last season, is determined to be reunited with the boy, no matter if the price is over-inflated.
It seems that by being a Premier League club, the asking price of a player automatically goes up (I am blaming Manchester City, Chelsea and more recently Liverpool for this).
Other clubs, even those in the English top flight, know these sides are better off than those in any other league in the world thanks to the amount of TV revenue they receive each year. And, thus, they demand more pennies for their players.
But back to Richarlison: From 11.5 million to 50 million pounds in 12 months after five goals in 41 matches for Watford… That’s insane.
During the madness of the World Cup, I said that Watford had done what might be one of the best bits of business in the summer transfer window when they signed Spanish striker Gerard Deulofeu from Barcelona for 13 million euros.
That is looking more and more like a snip in this post-World Cup transfer window where prices will just go up and up. Especially if you happen to be a Premier League team.
All the while Watford, with Javi Gracia in the manager’s chair and with the backing of the Pozzo family, will pocket the cash and go looking for their next bargain to replace the departing Brazilian.
