Roberto De Zerbi has offered further explanation for why Richarlison didn’t make Tottenham’s 25-man Premier League squad, saying the outcome stemmed from choices the Brazilian forward made himself over the past six weeks.
Ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Everton, the Italian boss stressed that Richarlison wasn’t simply left out by the coaching staff — rather, the situation developed largely because of decisions the player made during a pivotal stretch of the transfer window.
De Zerbi’s remarks came in the wake of Richarlison’s collapsed deadline-day switch to Vasco da Gama. Tottenham and the Brazilian club had reportedly agreed a fee, but the move ultimately broke down when personal terms with the player couldn’t be sorted out.
The manager said he’d have felt regret had he personally chosen to exclude Richarlison without weighing up the full picture, but stressed that wasn’t the case. He explained that the exclusion wasn’t even a club decision — it was simply the outcome of the player’s own choices, according to The Spurs Watch on X.
De Zerbi also emphasized that his relationship with Richarlison remains strong, noting he’d had numerous conversations with the striker in hopes of keeping him at the club. Still, he suggested the events of the last 45 days had ultimately shaped where things stood. He said he felt for the situation, calling Richarlison a good guy he’d genuinely tried hard to convince to stay, while acknowledging he was aware of exactly what had unfolded over the past month and a half — even if he wasn’t frustrated by it.
The Tottenham boss declined to go into specifics about what exactly transpired between the club and the player, saying it wouldn’t be appropriate to share those details publicly. He noted he knew what the club had done in dealing with Richarlison over that period, as well as how the player had conducted himself, but felt it wasn’t his place to lay it all out — adding only that he wished things could have played out differently.
De Zerbi also conceded that an alternate outcome had been possible, one where Richarlison stayed on, remained content at the club, and perhaps even signed a new deal, given he’s still a player of real value — pointing out his importance last season shouldn’t be forgotten, even as the recent situation can’t be ignored either.
Attacking Options Limited for Spurs
Richarlison’s unavailability adds to De Zerbi’s selection headaches as Tottenham search for answers in attack. The club is currently mired in a 270-minute Premier League scoring drought, compounded by fitness doubts over Mykhailo Mudryk and Dejan Kulusevski.
With Richarlison ruled out of domestic action until January, De Zerbi will need to lean on the attacking players still available to him — Dominic Solanke, Omar Marmoush, Sávio, and Mathys Tel among them.
That leaves Tottenham facing the Everton fixture under mounting pressure to fix their goal-scoring problems, while Richarlison must wait for his next chance to feature domestically.
