With only three matches left in the 2025/26 Premier League season and Spurs finally hitting high notes under Roberto De Zerbi now that they are out of the relegation places (for now), Spurs supporters are beginning their reflections upon this tortuous whirlwind of a season that has been the stuff of nightmares.
And one reality that is slowly sinking in for the Spurs faithful relates to striker Richarlison. A magnet for criticism, everyone knows that Richy hasn't come close to meeting expectations of his price tag, his past success and importance at Everton, or his theoretical level of quality.
But for all the frustrations about lacking all around play or inconsistency, Richarlison has probably been Spurs player of the season this season. Or if not the full on player of the season, he is very much a leading contender.
Richarlison is more valuable than people think
The only other two options who have played enough are Mohammed Kudus and Cristian Romero. Kudus is Spurs best player right now and this season for the games he played, but with only seven goal contributions and half the team's Premier League appearances, is he really the MVP? Captain Romero is another option, but, in all honesty, his season has been more of a hallmark of underperformance and disappointment; he's only a contender by default.
Again, Richarlison is not one of the best strikers in the Premier League, and Tottenham Hotspur should be upgrading on him this summer as a starter. But he has been the team's leading goal scorer this season with 10 goals on a side where nobody else has five. And for all the criticisms about not being as good of an all around striker as Dominic Solanke, his four assists are also a good bit better than everyone else besides Xavi Simons and Kudus who are tied in first with five assists. Because by the way, Dominic Solanke did not even have a single assist this season.
Richarlison is an easy target and easy to meme, but nobody can deny either the statistics or his effort. The Brazilian national team forward is one player you can never accuse of taking plays off, and he will fight to death for a team no matter their situation.
The goals and assists don't lie. A total of 14 goal contributions may not say a whole lot, and it is an embarrassment for Spurs that their leading goal scorer only has 10 on the Premier League season. But someone has to be the leader, and Richarlison has been the one man stepping up to take on that responsibility. And when you look at the context of the season, the basic stats, and how poorly the other forwards have played (or how many have not been healthy at all), Richy's case for being Spurs Player of the Season only becomes stronger.