1660995888 Tottenhams Antonio Conte delights in evil Richarlison as he considers

Tottenham’s Antonio Conte delights in ‘evil’ Richarlison as he considers playing four forwards

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte says he’s looking forward to working with ‘evil’ new signing Richarlison.

The Brazilian striker, who arrived from Everton last month in a deal worth up to £60m, made his first appearance for Spurs in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Chelsea, where he impressed from the bench.

He had been suspended for the first game of the season after throwing a flare at the crowd during one of his last games as an Everton player.

But on the 25-year-old’s impact ahead of Saturday’s game against Wolves – in which Richarlison could make his first start – Conte said: “Certainly Richy (Richarlison) is a player who has kept us focused and angry. He’s a player I like.

“He’s always thinking about the training session. I think that’s a good sign for us.”

It was unclear if Richarlison would be able to play with Tottenham’s usual front three – Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski.

However, Conte revealed that he planned to play all four in some games.

“We’re also working on the tactical aspect because the season will be long and there are many games that we have to play with four strikers,” he said.

“In the end we played at Chelsea with Lucas Moura at full-back, Perisic – we talk about a striker in the past – Richarlison, Kulusevski, Sonny… but for that it is important to organize the tactical aspect.

“The problem could be with the others (the opponents) when you have the ball, but we mustn’t lose our balance without the ball either.”

“We have to try to improve because for me during the game playing with four forwards and starting some games can be a good option.

“The most important thing is that the four forwards want to run without the ball and make sacrifices. This is very important.

“But I have players with good stamina, with good quality, and we’re working on that aspect too.”

Tottenham are fourth in the Premier League after clinching a win and a draw in their opening two games.

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