Every big club in England is now keen on bringing in Watford’s Brazilian ace Richarlison. The 20-year old attacking player moved to the English side this summer from Fluminense for a fee recorded to be around £13 million.
However, it was the Hornets who ended up winning the signature of the player as he joined Watford on a five-year contract. Richarlison has enjoyed a bright start to the Premier League scoring five goals and setting up four assists in his fifteen games at the club. With a move for the Brazilian on the cards, here is a look at the possible replacements for him should he leave Watford.
Charly Musonda
Should Richarlison head to Chelsea, Watford can use the transfer as a demand to swap Charly Musonda as well along with a transfer fee. The Belgian winger is a highly gifted winger who enjoyed a terrific last season in Spain. However, at Chelsea, he has not been able to establish himself and a move to a club of a smaller stature where he will get more game time is definitely going to attract the player. Moreover, for Chelsea, if using Musonda as a bargaining chip works, the Blues hierarchy will only be too happy to swap Musonda and a fee for Richarlison.
Theo Walcott
The 17-year old teenage sensation who made his debut for Arsenal in 2006 was destined for great things. 11 years down the line and Theo Walcott is just another bit-part Arsenal player. The once-promising career of the England international never took off and Theo becomes just another England international who was once destined for greatness.
A career that once promised so much has been blighted by injuries, inconsistent performances and a lack of winning mentality. Theo Walcott is now 28-years old, and far away from featuring for the three Lions. He has been at Arsenal for over 11 years and has failed to nail down a starting spot throughout his spell at the club. Gareth Southgate surely does not consider Walcott for he has better options available and Wenger still chooses to introduce Walcott as an impact sub or a domestic cup match player.
If Walcott still does hold serious ambition to play for England in next year’s World Cup in Russia, he will need regular game time which is unlikely to come at Arsenal. This leaves the former England star with a hard choice to make. He must decide to seek his fortunes elsewhere if he is to feature regularly for a team.
Once again, Watford can use Richarlison as a demand to ask for Walcott if they sell their Brazilian player to Arsenal. Also, as will be the case with Chelsea, Arsenal will only be too happy to use Walcott as a bargaining chip to lower Richarlison’s transfer value and add the young winger to their ranks.
Riyad Mahrez
A slightly improbable move but if Richarlison does leave, his transfer bidding war between the big English clubs will definitely be enough to see his stock rise up to dictate an amount that would allow Watford to realistically approach for Riyad Mahrez.
Mahrez’s sleek style of dribbling football and prior experience of being the best in the league will make the 2015-16 PFA Player of the Year, a valuable addition to any team.
