Antonio Conte insists ‘fearless’ Richarlison will thrive in hostile derby environment

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte backs ‘fearless’ Richarlison to thrive in hostile derby environment after the Brazilian has proved himself to be an instant success since joining the club

  • Spurs boss Antonio Conte believes Richarlison will be unnerved against Arsenal
  • Conte insisted that the Brazilians fearless nature means he is ready for the derby
  • Richarlison has hit the ground running at Spurs since his £52m summer move
  • Unbeaten Spurs will travel to the Emirates in Saturday’s North London derby 

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is backing fearless Richarlison to thrive in the hostility of his first north London derby, days after the Brazilian forward was targeted by racist abuse in France.

‘You are talking about a player who has no fear,’ said Conte, ahead of Saturday’s short trip to Arsenal.

‘He is a player that in every moment, also during the training sessions, shows great commitment but for sure the first thing I see in him is he has no fear.

Antonio Conte has backed Richarlison to thrive in the North London derby on Saturday

Conte insisted that the Brazilian's fearlessness means he is ready to play in the derby game

Conte insisted that the Brazilian’s fearlessness means he is ready to play in the derby game

‘He is not scared about nobody. Not about the atmosphere, about the noise. He is really strong. 

‘On the pitch also with the opponent… it’s difficult to play against him. Because he has no fear.’

Richarlison has proved an instant success at Spurs after his £52million move from Everton.

Richarlison was the subject of racial abuse while playing for Brazil in Paris on Tuesday

Richarlison was the subject of racial abuse while playing for Brazil in Paris on Tuesday

Richarlison (right) has been an instant success since joining Spurs from Everton this summer

Richarlison (right) has been an instant success since joining Spurs from Everton this summer

The 25-year-old scored his first two goals for his new club in a 2-0 win against Marseille in the Champions League last month.

He was also on target with three goals in two games for his country during the international break, in Brazil’s friendlies against Ghana last Friday and Tunisia on Tuesday.

As Richarlison celebrated his goal in the 19th minute against Tunisia in Paris, he was pelted with missiles thrown from the crowd, including a banana.