Richarlison's Frustration Over Exclusion from Tottenham Squad

Richarlison has taken his frustration public after being left out of Tottenham’s squad for Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool, throwing fresh doubt over his future under Roberto De Zerbi.

The Brazil forward posted a screenshot of a social media story highlighting his omission and added a single word: “Why?” finished with a tearful, sad-faced emoji. One word, one image – and a clear message that he is far from happy with his current situation in north London.

That situation has been simmering for weeks. A proposed move back to Brazil with Vasco da Gama collapsed late in the window, leaving Richarlison in limbo. Sources indicated Tottenham and Vasco had reached agreement on a fee for the 29-year-old, but the deal stalled when the two parties failed to settle personal terms before the Brazilian transfer window shut on Friday.

De Zerbi's Perspective

De Zerbi, speaking on Monday ahead of the Liverpool tie, made it clear he believes he has already gone as far as he can to keep the striker on board.

“At the start of this season, I spoke to him many times to convince him to stay and he didn't want to,” the Spurs head coach said. “I can't go every day to pray for him to stay.”

De Zerbi outlined how the club had tried to secure Richarlison’s commitment, only to be rebuffed.

“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 land differently now, with Richarlison watching from the outside as Tottenham prepare for a major cup tie and his social media post ricochets around the fanbase.

De Zerbi hinted at deeper issues behind the scenes but drew a firm line over how much he was willing to reveal.

“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.”

So Richarlison stays at Spurs for now: out of the squad for Liverpool, out of favour with his head coach, and out of options until the next window opens. The next move, on and off the pitch, is his.