RICH RAID A SLICE OF LUK FOR TOFFEES
Marco backs ex-Hornet to fill Blues’ goals gap
MARCO SILVA is banking on Richarlison emerging as the prolific striker Everton crave.
Silva’s Toffees side have scored just two in their last four games and 21 in total in the Premier League this season.
That stat is lower than all their top-six rivals ahead of tonight’s clash with Watford.
Everton have not found a high-scoring striker since selling Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United in the summer of 2017.
But as seven-goal top scorer Richarlison prepares to face Watford for the first time since his £40million move in the summer, Silva said. “I think Richarlison is able to score.
“He’s a player who needs to score, a striker. I think he needs to score often to keep his confidence high. That’s seven goals in 13 games, it’s a good number.
“He can do better, I’ve no doubts about that, because he has the quality to do better. He’s working to improve as well. And I’m happy with him, of course.” Turkish frontman Cenk Tosun has failed to find the net regularly since his arrival a year ago while England Under-21 star Dominic CalvertLewin has barely had a look in. That has led to suggestions that Silva will dip into the January transfer market for a new striker.
He said: “Every time when you look through your squad you can improve it. But we are happy with the players we have. “Everything we can do in the future in the January market, or the summer market, is not the most important thing for us at the moment because we are happy with the squad we have.”
Richarlison also started last term brightly with Watford but the Brazilian’s form nosedived in the second half of the season.
That coincided with the Hornets’ results plummeting after Everton tried to lure Silva away from Vicarage Road last November when Ronald Koeman was axed.
Silva was eventually sacked by Watford in January, who were left fuming by Everton’s approach and blamed the Toffees for the situation.
The Portuguese boss insists he is not thinking about how and why his time at Watford turned sour.
He added: “The first day I joined Everton I said the past is not important to talk about.
“Big respect for all the clubs I have worked at so far. Not just Watford but all the others.
“It’s one more match, a tough match. It will be good to see a big part of their players, very good professionals that I’ve worked with as well, and some friends but it’s one more match.”