Tottenham’s hierarchy and Richarlison’s representatives have reportedly come to an agreement after their summer standoff.
The full story of what went on between the striker and the club is still unclear, but it is known that relations soured. Roberto De Zerbi said last month that he was not the one who left Richarlison out of the Premier League squad, hinting that the club were pushed into the decision by the forward’s behaviour. He said he knows what the club went through with the player over the past 45 days but wouldn’t go into detail, adding that he wished things had ended differently and better.
That has now been backed up by Brazilian journalist Bruno Andrade, who says Spurs will not extend Richarlison’s contract and will help him move on in January. Speaking on ESPN Brazil’s YouTube channel, as relayed by Sport Witness, Andrade said the doors are wide open from January and that the player will leave Tottenham, and possibly English football altogether.
According to Andrade, Spurs have told Richarlison’s representatives they will make his departure easy. He won’t have to sign a pre-contract and wait until June to leave for free. The club have also made it clear they won’t trigger the automatic extension option, which they could have used to create a bigger fight for his signature, but have chosen not to.
Several outlets reported over the summer that Richarlison’s camp were weighing legal action against Spurs to release him from his deal and let him go as a free agent. Andrade says those efforts are now dead. Both the club’s legal department and the player’s own lawyers concluded there were not enough grounds to pursue it, so terminating the contract for just cause or by mutual agreement is completely off the table.
A return to Brazil is also no longer on the cards, he adds. Andrade summed up the situation as follows: Brazil is out, termination is out, and the extension won’t happen.
