Spurs' £60m new boy Richarlison hit with FA ban before he's even played

Tottenham Hotspur summer arrival Richarlison is being forced to wait for his debut following his £60m switch after being hit with an FA ban.

The Brazilian striker was confirmed as a Spurs player last week, the former Everton man penning a five-year contract in north London and adds to an already-talented pool of attacking options at the club. Despite the initial excitement surrounding his arrival, it appears that Spurs fans will have to wait a little longer to see Richarlison make his debut for the club next season.

He has been handed a one-match FA ban following an infamous flare throwing incident last term against Chelsea. An investigation was initially launched after the Brazilian appeared to hurl a lit pyrotechnic back into the Goodison Park crowd after netting in a crucial 1-0 victory against the Blues.

In the meantime, his then employers Everton also confirmed that they would also be looking into the incident. A statement read: "We will look into the matter but, as far we are concerned, Richarlison was attempting to throw it out of the ground."

Those investigations have now concluded with Richarlison's actions deemed worthy of a one-match suspension in competitive action. An FA statement read: "An independent Regulatory Commission has suspended Richarlison de Andrade for one match and fined him £25,000 following a breach of FA Rule E3 that took place during a Premier League game on Sunday 1 May 2022.

"The Tottenham Hotspur FC forward admitted that his conduct while playing for Everton FC during the 46th minute of this game against Chelsea FC was improper, and his sanction was imposed during a subsequent hearing."

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That means that the Brazilian forward will miss Spurs' first Premier League match of the season against Southampton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Before then though, he could still appear in pre-season with Antonio Conte's men having a packed schedule ahead of the Premier League campaign getting underway. They at first take on a K-League XI before navigating clashes with Sevilla, Rangers and AS Roma.

Richarlison's £60m signing was just one part of Spurs' summer splurge under the Italian boss this summer.

They have also welcomed Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma, whilst Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster have both arrived on free transfers.

The north Londoners are not expected to stop there though. Middlesbrough defender Djed Spence remains high on their priorities list as Conte attempts to bolster at wing-back.

In the meantime, another centre-back is also in the pipeline with Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet thought to be closing in on a loan switch.