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Paul Merson believes Tottenham’s season could already be “on the line” when they face Everton in north London today.

Spurs have made a miserable start to their Premier League campaign, taking one point from three games without scoring a goal. Everton, meanwhile, arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium unbeaten with five points from their opening three.

And Merson believes the pressure is firmly on Roberto De Zerbi’s side. Writing for Sky Sports, he said: “Spurs have to beat Everton this weekend. It’s a cup final for them – I’d go as far as to say this is their season on the line.

“If they lose to Everton, then you start thinking: this is going to be another grind of a season. Here we go again. You would start really, really worrying as a Tottenham fan.”

Merson did concede that today’s game isn’t quite as big as the meeting between the sides on the final day of last season, when Spurs needed a victory to guarantee their Premier League survival. But he believes another defeat would leave De Zerbi’s side in serious trouble after taking just one point from their opening four games.

It’s a lot of pressure to be carrying into the fourth league game of the season. Everton have their own poor record in north London to address, having lost their last five league visits to Spurs. Moyes will hope his unbeaten side can make Tottenham’s difficult start even worse.

For more ahead of kick-off, read our seven Tottenham v Everton stats Toffees fans need to know and our Tottenham Hotspur Stadium away guide.

More than £300m spent. Three Premier League games played. No wins and no goals.

It has not been the start Tottenham envisaged after heavily backing Roberto De Zerbi this summer, and Everton have the chance to make things even more uncomfortable on Saturday evening.

Spurs opened with a 3-0 defeat at Brentford before losing 2-0 at home to Newcastle. A goalless draw at Nottingham Forest brought their first point, but not their first goal – and they failed to register a shot on target.

Everton arrive unbeaten

Tottenham have now failed to score in their opening three league games for the first time since 1974. That is some return on a summer in which more than £300m has been spent rebuilding De Zerbi’s squad. Reuters has already suggested the Italian could come under pressure if results do not improve. Everton, meanwhile, head to north London unbeaten.

David Moyes’ side have taken five points from their opening three Premier League games, beating Crystal Palace 2-0 before drawing 1-1 at Bournemouth and 2-2 with Manchester United.

There is a little extra edge to Saturday’s game after what happened in May. Tottenham beat Everton 1-0 on the final day of last season to secure their Premier League survival, having been dragged into a relegation fight that went all the way to the final afternoon. De Zerbi has since been given serious backing to make sure nothing similar happens again.

Three league games is far too early to judge whether that money has been well spent. But if Everton can extend Tottenham’s wait for a first win – and perhaps a first goal – the questions will inevitably become a little louder.

Then again, ever heard the phrase, along come Everton?

Richarlison is reportedly seeking to terminate his Tottenham contract, raising the possibility of a very different deal if Everton retain an interest in bringing him back to the club.

The Brazilian’s proposed return to Everton fell through during the final days of the summer transfer window despite talks between the clubs.

Sky Sports reported at the time that a fee of around £35m was being discussed. Richarlison remained at Tottenham and has subsequently been left out of their Premier League squad.

Now the situation has taken another turn.

Could Everton go back for Richarlison?

Brazilian outlet ge reports that Richarlison’s representatives intend to seek the termination of his Tottenham contract, with the striker keen to join Vasco da Gama.

The report also says Richarlison did want to return to Everton this summer, although an agreement could not be reached.

Vasco are currently pushing to sign him and Richarlison’s desire to play for his boyhood club appears to put them firmly at the front of the queue.

But what happens if he succeeds in becoming a free agent?

Everton were prepared to discuss a £35m transfer only days ago. Removing that fee would completely change the terms on which a return could potentially be negotiated.

There would be no deal to strike with Tottenham. Everton could instead negotiate directly with Richarlison over his wages, signing-on fee and the length of his contract.

That doesn’t mean a move is back on.

Richarlison wants Vasco, while the process of terminating his Tottenham contract is far from straightforward. UOL reports that his representatives believe there are grounds to pursue a release under FIFA regulations, although compensation could still ultimately be payable.

Everton’s need for another striker hasn’t changed, however. David Moyes was left with Thierno Barry as his only recognised senior centre-forward after the window closed, and reports this week suggest adding another No.9 remains a priority.

A £35m return for Richarlison didn’t happen.

If he becomes available without that £35m fee attached, it would be no surprise if Everton at least reconsidered the numbers.

Everton’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season will face another test on Saturday when David Moyes takes his side to Tottenham.

The Toffees have collected five points from their opening three league games, following victory over Crystal Palace with draws against Bournemouth and Manchester United. Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ dramatic late equaliser against United ensured they head to north London still unbeaten.

Tottenham could hardly have made a more contrasting start.

Everton face a Spurs side struggling for goals

Roberto De Zerbi’s side have taken just one point from their first three league matches and are still waiting for their first Premier League goal of the season.

Spurs opened with a 3-0 defeat at Brentford before losing 2-0 at home to Newcastle. A goalless draw at Nottingham Forest finally produced their first point, although they failed to register a shot on target and had a let-off when Neco Williams’ second-half effort was disallowed for handball.

For Everton, that presents an opportunity, but there are reasons for caution. The Toffees have found trips to Tottenham particularly difficult in recent years.

Their last Premier League victory there came in September 2020, when Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored the only goal. Spurs have since won five successive home league meetings between the sides.

Last season was particularly unproductive for Everton, who lost both league meetings without scoring. Tottenham won the two games 4-0 on aggregate, including a 1-0 victory in north London on the final day.

Moyes’ side should at least travel with confidence this time. Everton have scored in all four of their competitive matches this season, including the 2-2 draw with Manchester United, and have already found stoppage-time equalisers in their last two league games.

There will be plenty more to come on injuries, team news and Moyes’ likely XI as Saturday approaches. For now, it’s an intriguing one: an unbeaten Everton side against a Tottenham team still searching for both their first league win and first league goal.

Kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is 5.30pm on Saturday.

More has emerged about Everton‘s failed attempt to bring Richarlison back to Merseyside during the final days of the transfer window.

The Toffees explored a reunion with the Brazilian before Deadline Day, with Tottenham valuing the striker at around £35m. Richarlison stayed in north London, but subsequent reports have provided more detail about why the proposed return fell apart.

Richarlison return got as far as negotiations

Football Insider reports that Richarlison entered negotiations with Everton but that the terms on offer prevented an agreement. Their report claims the Brazilian could have returned for £35m, but that the wages offered by Everton fell short of what he wanted.

The Guardian has separately reported that Richarlison refused the opportunity to return to his former club. That makes a fresh claim circulating today — that Everton simply refused to meet Tottenham’s asking price — harder to pin down. The report cited as its source, Football Insider, instead puts the failure to reach an agreement down to Richarlison’s wage demands.

What does appear clear is that Everton’s interest went considerably further than a speculative Deadline Day enquiry. We reported last month on the possibility of Richarlison returning, and negotiations eventually took place before the window closed.

The 29-year-old remained at Tottenham and has since been omitted from their Premier League squad. Everton, meanwhile, failed to land Richarlison or Folarin Balogun before the deadline, leaving Thierno Barry as David Moyes’ only recognised senior centre-forward.

Everton hopes of bringing Richarlison back to Merseyside have hit an early obstacle, with Tottenham rejecting the Toffees’ opening offer for the Brazilian.

Tottenham have turned down an Everton bid for Richarlison, with the north London club insisting the offer falls well below their valuation. Spurs are said to be looking for at least £35m to sanction a sale, a figure Everton will now have to decide whether to match.

The interest cuts both ways. Richarlison himself reportedly wants the move to happen, with a return to Hill Dickinson Stadium appealing after his path forward at Tottenham has narrowed. Roberto De Zerbi is prioritising the arrivals of Cody Gakpo and Savinho this summer, moves that could push Richarlison further down the pecking order even after regular pre-season minutes.

It’s a familiar story for Moyes this window. Everton also had a £25m bid for Djed Spence rejected earlier in the summer, with Spurs holding out for more before the defender ultimately joined Inter Milan for £30m plus a sell-on clause. Tottenham, in other words, don’t look inclined to do Everton any favours on price this time either.

Richarlison spent four seasons at Everton before his £60m move to Tottenham in 2022, and remains a popular figure among supporters from that spell. Whether Moyes returns with an improved offer, or looks elsewhere for attacking reinforcements, should become clear in the coming days.

For updates on this and other Everton deals, follow our live transfer tracker.

Everton have identified a possible long-term replacement for Idrissa Gueye, with Tottenham’s Pape Sarr emerging as a name on the radar.

According to Afrik Foot, Everton have earmarked Sarr as a potential successor to his compatriot Gueye, who recently left Merseyside for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Diriyah after his second spell at the club. The Senegal international would arrive with an obvious familiarity already built in — Iliman Ndiaye remains on Everton’s books and shares both nationality and international teammate status with Sarr.

The 23-year-old’s situation at Tottenham has grown complicated. He started just 13 Premier League games last season under three different head coaches, and the arrivals of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes have pushed him further down the pecking order. Spurs are said to be prepared to let him leave for a fee in the region of £21.4m.

Everton, though, won’t have this one to themselves. Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Galatasaray, Aston Villa and Al-Ahli are all credited with interest, meaning any move would need to happen quickly if Moyes wants to beat the competition to it.

Worth noting this is agent-network and single-outlet reporting rather than a confirmed approach — no suggestion yet that Everton have made contact with Tottenham. Given the widening list of suitors, this one may move fast if it moves at all.

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