When Everton signed Brazilian forward Richarlison for a fee that could rise to £50million from Watford in the summer many people were sceptical about the signing.
The youngest no doubt had potential, but he had looked bereft of confidence in the second half of last season. The majority of Hornets fans were praising their club for robbing Everton of such a big fee for an underperforming player.
Started his Toffees career in style
Fortunately, for the Toffees, Richarlison has started his career in the north west in style, by scoring six goals in just nine top-flight appearances. On Saturday, the forward was the matchwinner, scoring twice in the Toffees 3-1 win over Brighton at Goodison Park.
His weekend brace means that the youngster has already matched his league goal output for last season. A move to a more central striking role has given the Brazilian more opportunities to find the net and he has taken them with aplomb.
The Marco Silva effect
Everton boss Marco Silva is highly-rated within the game. Players seem to love playing for the former Olympiakos coach, and Richarlison has already stated his admiration for Silva.
The Everton boss brought the forward to England while at Watford and the Portuguese coach seems to be able to get the best out of the forward. Richarlison made a bright start to his Hornets career under Silva, only for his season to stall when the highly-rated coach left the club following a high profile approach from the Toffees last October.
Richarlison is already a talisman for Everton
The 21-year-old is already a talisman for the Toffees and is fast becoming a fans favourite. It is not just his performances on the pitch that have endeared him to the Goodison faithful, but also his attitude towards the fans.
Richarlison’s fee may have looked like a big one in the summer. However, in a strange way, he could turn out to be one of the shrewdest signings of the summer if he continues in his current vein.