Richarlison Expresses Frustration Over Tottenham Omission

Richarlison has gone public with his frustration after being left out of Tottenham’s squad for Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool, sharpening the focus on his increasingly fragile future in north London.

The Brazil forward reacted on social media, posting a screenshot of a report on his omission and adding a single word: “Why?” followed by a tearful, sad-faced emoji. It was a small post, but a loud message. Richarlison is not happy with Roberto De Zerbi’s call.

The tension comes on the back of a collapsed move that was supposed to offer the 29-year-old a reset. A transfer to Brazilian club Vasco da Gama had been lined up, with sources indicating Tottenham and Vasco had agreed a fee. The deal stalled at the final hurdle, with personal terms not settled before the Brazilian transfer window shut on Friday. The window closed. The agreement died. Richarlison stayed.

De Zerbi, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Monday, made it clear he feels 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 Tottenham 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, offering an extension that the player rejected.

“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.”

The Italian hinted at deeper issues behind the scenes over the past month and a half, but drew a firm line over how much he was prepared 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 now finds himself in a stark position: out of the squad for a high-profile cup tie, his move home blocked by the calendar, and his coach publicly stating that the onus lies with the player and the hierarchy to resolve the stand-off.

The emoji was emotional. The response from De Zerbi was clinical. The next move belongs to Tottenham – and to Richarlison himself.