Richarlison’s absence from the Tottenham team over the coming weeks could very well play into the hands of one of his teammates. A regular in recent months and scoring frequently from his central role in the front three, the Brazilian is set for a period of three to four weeks on the sidelines after injuring his knee in Spurs’ last game.
Set to be absent for the Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Fulham fixtures, the player may potentially be back in time to face Luton Town at the end of March once the first international break of the year has come to a conclusion. Now needing to try and replace his goals in the weeks ahead, captain Son Heung-min looks to be the standout candidate to take on Richarlison’s position in Ange Postecoglou’sstarting XI.
Opening up a space on the left flank as a result, that could allow Timo Werner to come back into the team after dropping to the bench in the Wolves defeat following Son’s return from the Asian Cup. The 27-year-old’s versatility hands Postecoglou a couple of options as he has the experience of playing from the left flank and also through the middle, thus allowing the head coach to alternate between the German and Son in the two roles if he so wishes.
Joining Tottenham in early January with plenty of question marks hanging over him going on his struggles in his two years with Chelsea, Werner does have all the attributes to be a big hit in Postecoglou’s Tottenham system. As the head coach also has an excellent record of extracting the very best out of all his players, Premier League fans may see a different side to the German international altogether in his time at Tottenham.
Not only a good player to have in the starting XI due to his attributes, Werner may also turn out to be a very handy player for Tottenham off the bench in what remains of the season. Blessed with blistering pace and quality in the final third, the loanee could prove to be a valuable weapon for Postecoglou and Tottenham as well as a real thorn in the side of Spurs’ opponents.
For the player, he will want to be starting games week in, week out as he looks to make a late dash for the Germany squad at Euro 2024. That chance may now arrive in Richarlison’s absence and a strong run of games could potentially see him nail down a starting role even when his teammate returns from the knee injury that is set to sideline him for the next three to four weeks.
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