Tottenham forward Richarlison has suggested his former club Everton have a "lack of ambition" as he explained his reasoning behind leaving Frank Lampard's team.
Everton finished 16th last season – their lowest Premier League placing since the 2003-04 season – only ensuring their status as an ever-present in the competition thanks to a 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace in their penultimate game.
Richarlison scored in that win and played a pivotal role in Everton's survival, netting six goals from the start of April. Having finished as the Toffee's top scorer, with 10 league goals, he was sold to Tottenham in June for an initial £50million, with potential add-ons taking the deal to £60m.
Everton's finances have been under scrutiny after their lavish spending under Farhad Moshiri, whose investment has not yielded desired results since he purchased a majority stake in the club in 2016, and a big sale was needed to help balance the books.
Though leaving Goodison Park after four years was still a difficult decision, Richarlison feels Everton lacked the ambition to challenge for honours.
"It's always a tough call when you have such strong connections with your club, and that was definitely the case for me," Richarlison told FourFourTwo.
"I was happy at Everton and I’m grateful for everything I learned there. It’s a big club with a lot of history.
"However, perhaps they're suffering with a lack of ambition nowadays. You know, that eagerness to win matches and trophies.
"I spent four years there and I could see there was still a very long way to go to achieve big things.
"I felt it was the right time to move on, and the club also had to make some money. It was a good deal for everyone involved. I'm delighted with this new challenge at Spurs."
After a bright start to last season under Rafael Benitez, the former Liverpool manager who replaced Carlo Ancelotti following the latter's surprise return to Real Madrid, Everton tailed off badly as injuries and a loss of form combined.
Lampard took over from the unpopular Benitez in January, though struggled to get immediate results before finally finding a way over the line in May. Everton are yet to win in the league this season, though have shown promising signs in a run of four successive draws.
"It was a very stressful season, to be honest," said Richarlison, who is set to play a key role for Brazil at the upcoming World Cup.
"We had a lot of injuries and the squad wasn’t big enough to cope. I personally had some issues, too.
"As soon as the previous Premier League campaign had finished, I played in the Copa America, then the Olympic Games, and then the Premier League started again. I had no break and sustained a few injuries during the season."
Richarlison has swiftly endeared himself to Spurs supporters and head coach Antonio Conte, who hailed the 25-year-old's versatility and application after a two-goal showing on his Champions League debut against Marseille.
Those goals are Richarlison's only ones in a Tottenham shirt, though he has provided two Premier League assists in his last two appearances in the top flight.
Chelsea blame Abramovich sanctions for £121m losses
Chelsea put losses of £121million in their latest financial records down to sanctions on former owner Roman Abramovich by the UK government.
The Blues posted their annual accounts, covering the 2021-22 season, showing significant losses in a period that included having to work under a special licence.
Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, believing he had close ties with president Vladimir Putin and freezing the assets of several individuals as a result.
That saw Chelsea forced to operate under a special licence, which restricted the club from selling tickets, accept event bookings and signing contracts with players until Todd Boehly's takeover was completed on May 30, 2022.
In a statement on Monday, Chelsea added that these sanctions would be felt again "in the following years".
"The results for the year have been impacted by the sanctions placed on the club's previous owner on 10 March 2022," the statement read.
"As a result of the sanctions, the club was required to operate within the limitations of a special licence issued by the UK government. These restrictions were in place until the completion of the Club's sale on 30 May 2022.
"During this period, the Club was restricted in a number of areas including, but not limited to, its ability to sell matchday and season tickets, sell merchandise, accept event bookings, as well as sign contracts with players and commercial sponsorship partners, which collectively resulted in extraordinary expenses and loss of revenue.
"Furthermore, some of these limitations are also expected to have an impact on the financials in the following years due to the long-term impact from restrictions on entering into new contractual arrangements.
"Towards the end of the sanctioned period, the club was permitted to sell certain matchday tickets, with the Premier League committing to donate all revenue from these sales to charity. The restrictions were lifted following the change in ownership, and all operations have now resumed."
The Blues announced an overall net loss of £121.3m, though they confirmed they continue to meet the Premier League and UEFA's financial regulations.
'I've been there' – Gerrard considers Kane's 'big decision' on Spurs future
Steven Gerrard can understand what Harry Kane might be thinking as he weighs up whether to leave Tottenham in pursuit of silverware.
Aside from a series of loan spells as a teenager, Kane has spent his entire club career at Spurs.
He is now Tottenham's record goalscorer, also becoming England's leading marksman during this international break.
But Kane remains without a major honour to his name, losing three finals with Spurs and one with England.
That wait for glory will not end this season, with Tottenham eliminated from the FA Cup and Champions League before Antonio Conte departed on Sunday.
With Manchester City dominant, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United rejuvenated and Liverpool and Chelsea likely to improve next season, the window in which Spurs can succeed may be closing.
That has prompted plenty of debate around Kane's future, but Gerrard is in a good position to consider the England captain's options.
Gerrard spent all but the final 18 months of his career at Liverpool.
Although he did win silverware – most notably the Champions League in 2005 – the Reds favourite never lifted the Premier League trophy and surely would have enjoyed greater success elsewhere.
Gerrard, appearing on Channel 4, said of Kane: "He's got a big decision to make career-wise.
"I've been there myself, where you're thinking: 'Is my team good enough to get me the medals? Am I going to get out of my career what I want to get?'"
Gerrard's emotional ties to Liverpool meant he stuck by them in pursuit of a long-awaited league triumph, but he believes a potential move will be playing on Kane's mind.
"It's different for me," Gerrard added. "I knew winning one trophy more with Liverpool would have meant a lot more to me than being anywhere else.
"He's got a big decision to make. I can't give him any advice on that, but I bet you every single day of his life now moving forward, it's going to be on his mind."
Kane pushed for a move to Man City in 2021, but Tottenham stood firm. City went on to sign Erling Haaland last year.
Man United appear more likely suitors for the 29-year-old this time, looking for a big-name striker to pair with Marcus Rashford following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure.
Spurs chairman Levy calls for unity after parting ways with Conte
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has called on everyone associated with the club to pull together for the remainder of the season after parting ways with head coach Antonio Conte.
Spurs released a statement on Sunday confirming the exit of Conte, whose future had been the subject of intense speculation since hitting out at his players the previous weekend.
Conte called his players "selfish" after squandering a two-goal lead in a 3-3 draw with bottom side Southampton, while questioning the club's lack of success during Levy's time as chairman.
Tottenham exited the FA Cup and Champions League this month, stretching their wait for a trophy into a 16th year, with a top-four finish in the Premier League now their only target.
Conte's assistant Cristian Stellini will oversee Spurs' remaining 10 league games, starting with a trip to Everton on April 3, and Levy is hoping for a strong finish to the campaign.
"We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place," he said in a short statement published on Spurs' official website.
"We all need to pull together. Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible finish for our club and amazing, loyal supporters."
Spurs still have top-four rivals Manchester United, Newcastle United and Liverpool to face in their remaining fixtures.
Fourth-place Tottenham are two points better off than Newcastle and seven in front of Liverpool, but both sides have two games in hand.
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