Richarlison: No change in policy as Everton continue to take risks

Action Images via REUTERS/John Clifton

Mirth in the blue half of Merseyside as the new season beckons. High-profile signings, a manager with cash and a growing reputation. The year is 2017, and for Everton, the only way is up.

We all know what happened next. Ronald Koeman's side collapsed, perishing under the weight of an expensively assembled squad. Not one of his signings was a success, with Gylfi Sigurdsson and Wayne Rooney faring marginally better than Sandro Ramirez.

Ramirez - remember him? A hotshot acquisition from Malaga, with 14 La Liga goals in the previous season. That's nearly double the total Richarlison got in the Brasileirao, an inferior league comprised of has-beens and prodigies.

Action Images via REUTERS/John Clifton 

Ah, one might say, but what about the £40 million man's form for Watford? That depends on whether you're talking about the first half of the season - where the 21-year-old scored a meagre five goals - or the second half, when he did precisely nothing.

The transfer is something of a risk at a club that have taken a few too many in recent seasons. The Sam Allardyce experiment, the Eliaquim Mangala experiment- how did they finish?

Everton - rightly - are lauded as one of England's most enduring clubs. There is much to admire in their history and ethos and -  despite the negatives - there is much to be hopeful about heading into the coming campaign.

Action Images via REUTERS/John Clifton After playing all through last year in Brazil and England, it might be the case the Richarlison's poor form could be down to fatigue.

The team should be set up to suit him, too. Gone are the days of Allardyce's plodding, painful style. Marco Silva will have his players drilled and on the front foot, with Yannick Bolasie and Sigurdsson allowed the opportunity to flourish.

The supporters, however, should reserve judgement on a manager with one relegation in two years on English soil. They should be wary, too, about resting their hopes on a winger for whom there are still more questions than answers. They should be most wary, though, of a majority shareholder who is running out of goodwill.

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