Richarlison's Tottenham Future in Jeopardy After De Zerbi's Omission
Richarlison’s Tottenham future was thrown back into the spotlight after the Brazilian publicly hit out at Roberto De Zerbi’s decision to leave him out of the squad for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool.
The forward posted a screenshot of a social media graphic highlighting his omission and added a single word: “Why?” followed by a crying face emoji. One word, one emoji – and a very clear message.
Omission sparks public backlash
For a player already walking a tightrope in north London, the timing could hardly be worse. Richarlison’s place at Tottenham has looked increasingly fragile after a proposed move to Vasco da Gama collapsed last week.
Sources indicated Spurs had shaken hands on a fee with the Brazilian club for the 29-year-old, only for the transfer to break down when personal terms were not finalised before the Brazilian window shut on Friday. The door closed. The uncertainty stayed.
So when De Zerbi named his squad for Liverpool and Richarlison was nowhere to be seen, the reaction was instant and very public.
De Zerbi: “I can’t go every day to pray for him to stay”
De Zerbi did not hide behind vague explanations in his pre-match press conference on Monday. He laid out his version of events, stressing how far he had gone to keep the striker at the club at the start of the campaign.
“At the start of this season, I spoke to him many times to convince him to stay and he didn’t want to,” the Tottenham head coach said. “I can’t go every day to pray for him to stay.
“What I have done at the beginning of this season has been to speak with him and to propose an extension of the contract. If he said, ‘no thank you,’ I finished my job.”
Those words cut to the heart of the stand-off. In De Zerbi’s eyes, the effort was made, the offer was on the table, and the rejection was clear.
The Italian then hinted at deeper issues behind the scenes, but stopped short of laying them bare.
“I know what happened in the last 45 days. It’s not right if I explained. It’s not my behaviour. The relationship, the problem is between the player and the club.”
A relationship on the brink
That line says plenty without spelling it out. The coach is drawing a boundary: he will pick the team, he will talk tactics, he will even try to persuade a key player to stay. But he will not wade into a dispute he believes belongs to the boardroom and the dressing room, not the press room.
Richarlison, meanwhile, has chosen a different route, taking his frustration into the public arena with a post that will be seen, shared and dissected by supporters and pundits alike.
A move to Vasco da Gama has slipped away, at least for now. The Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool goes ahead without him. The coach insists his conscience is clear.
The next move belongs to Richarlison – and to a club that must decide how long this uneasy standoff can last.
