Richarlison: “My focus is Watford, but if I play at a really high level then opportunities will come”

The Hornets forked out £11 million to sign the forward from Brazilian side Fluminense last summer, and didn’t have to wait long to see what the 20-year-oldcould do.Richarlison netted in only his second appearance for the Hertfordshire club, at Bournemouth, and then scored four more goals in his next 10 Premier League outings.His eye-catching early-season form led to talk that Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs were willing to blow his current deal – reported to be £20,000 per week –out of the water.And the Samba starlet admits that while his focus is on trying to push the Hornets up the table, he'd be hard-pushed to snub a hefty salary increase come the end of the campaign.Speaking exclusively in the April 2018 issue of FourFourTwo, he says: “Look, everybody wants financial security for their family, and when a player says otherwise, he’s lying. If I play at a really high level, opportunities will come my way.“But right now my mind is focused on Watford. I will raise my level. I think about playing in the Champions League and being the top scorer in the Premier League.”Richarlison nearly didn’t join Watford at all. After netting nine league goals in two seasons for Fluminense, the gifted youngster was expected to sign for Ajax.However, an eleventh-hourphone call from then-Hornets manager Marco Silva took the Brazilian by surprise, and Richarlison admits he couldn't turn downthe chance to play in the Premier League.“Watford’s offer came out of nowhere,” says the forward. “Everything was arranged for Ajax when I got the call from Marco Silva. I changed my mind because to play in England was a childhood dream. I didn’t think twice before coming here.”Read the full interview with Richarlison in the April 2018 issue of FourFourTwo magazine. A best young players special, we also speak exclusively to Kylian Mbappe, Ryan Sessegnon, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Justin Kluivert, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Winks and Timo Werner, and meet the people who shaped Marcus Rashford’s career. Plus, we go One-on-One with Rafael van der Vaart and experience the ‘Israel-Palestine Derby’ between Beitar Jerusalem and Bnei Sakhnin, after Donald Trump poured oil on the flames of an already-heated affair. Order a copy today, then become a subscriber!