Richard Buxton: Richarlison a rising star to rival Neymar?
Richarlison can serve as an alternative up front if he is able to sustain his form over a season
The charge sheet against Richarlison reads almost as long as the letters in his name.
Accusations that Everton's marquee summer signing is both a "one-season wonder" and transfer market saboteur are among the claims to be levelled at him in recent weeks.
Yet they appear to be mere half-truths after a two-goal haul in his first start for Brazil during the 5-0 friendly win over El Salvador yesterday morning (Singapore time).
In a transfer window which saw three Barcelona players move to the blue half of Merseyside, two of them on permanent deals, Richarlison's £40-million (S$71.7m) capture from Watford became the arrival which caught the imagination of supporters more than most.
Some pundits, notably ex-Arsenal forward Paul Merson, alleged that the Toffees - despite being outspent by four of their English Premier League rivals on six different players over the window - had "spoiled" the summer with their paid valuation of the attacker.
Three goals in as many games later, coupled with a brace for his country, Goodison Park's long-suffering devotees could be forgiven for buying into the hype; they are making up for a near quarter of a century in lost time, waiting for a Selecao star to finally revere as their own.
Richarlison has already succeeded where Mueller failed.
The well-travelled Brazil striker's proposed move to Everton, just months after helping his homeland triumph at the 1994 World Cup, collapsed when the relevant parties finally met around a negotiating table.
GREATEST OBSTACLE
Sustaining his prolific form, however, will be the greatest obstacle as Everton head into this Sunday's clash with West Ham devoid of their newest talisman through suspension.
A reunion with Marco Silva is by no means a guarantee of that upward trajectory continuing, evidenced by a disjointed season with Watford in which he proved to be free-scoring and flat-footed in equal measure.
In his opening 12 matches, the 21-year-old recorded five goals and had a hand in a further three amid premature claims of the Hornets joining the hunt for a Champions League place.
But failing to score in any of his final 25 games at Vicarage Road and providing a solitary assist vindicated a belief that Silva had spared Ajax's blushes by luring him to Hertfordshire.
Mitigating factors have been overlooked in the denigration of Richarlison's abilities; notably a relentless turnaround as he was forced to acclimatise to life in the EPL just 20 days after ending the previous season in Brazil's Serie A league with Fluminese.
Across his homeland and the English top flight, he made 59 competitive appearances last season, starting in 52 of them.
That Javi Gracia, Silva's successor at Watford, elected to start him in only nine of their remaining 14 matches has also been conveniently forgotten.
So, too, has his ranking as the league's most fouled player during the previous campaign.
Whether the same player that has shone for both club and country in the opening weeks of the new season will return from a three-game suspension will be a seismic challenge.
Before his red card against Bournemouth, Richarlison had epitomised Everton's early-season renaissance under Silva.
On the strength of Brazil's win in Washington, it is conceivable that he could also serve as a histrionic-free alternative to Neymar for his national side.
Only time, rather than money, will do the talking.
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