Richarlison has been left out of Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League squad.
The striker was told before the Premier League transfer deadline that he would not be included in their squad so he could find a new club.
Richarlison joined Spurs from Everton in July 2022 in a deal worth up to £60million. The Brazil international has under a year left on his contract and his future has been unclear throughout the summer.
He made 32 top-flight appearances last season and was the club’s top goalscorer with 11. However, head coach Roberto De Zerbi revealed on Tottenham’s pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand last month that Richarlison “sometimes wants to leave.”
The centre-forward started their opening game of the season which was a 3-0 defeat to Brentford but Spurs then signed Omar Marmoush from Manchester City on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy.
The 29-year-old was an unused substitute in the 5-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup and was left out of the matchday squad completely for last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United. Marmoush started upfront against Newcastle and Dominic Solanke came off the bench in the second half.
After the loss to Newcastle, De Zerbi said he did not include Richarlison among the substitutes, along with Kevin Danso and Pape Matar Sarr, because he “said too many times he wants to leave.” Danso and Sarr joined Sunderland and Juventus respectively.
Spurs reached an agreement in principle with Everton on Sunday to sign Iliman Ndiaye and for Richarlison to return to his former club in separate deals. Ndiaye preferred a move to Manchester City as they could offer him Champions League football, while Richarlison could not agree personal terms with Everton.
Richarlison addressed speculation on social media on Monday, saying “never again will anyone decide my future for me”.
The Athletic reported on Wednesday that Turkish side Trabzonspor had made an offer for the centre-forward. English clubs can no longer sign players but the Turkish transfer window does not close until Friday.
Each club has to submit a list of 25 senior players (over the age of 21) to the Premier League. This list must include at least eight ‘home grown’ players. Clubs can make changes following the winter transfer window.
Richarlison has been left out while Xavi Simons has been included. Xavi suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in April and is unlikely to play again until 2027. Wilson Odobert, who suffered an ACL tear of his own in February, has also been included in the squad and is now noted as a homegrown player, which Premier League sides are required to have eight of in a 25-player squad.
Mathys Tel, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray do not need to be registered as they are on the Under-21s list.
‘The right time to move on’
When Richarlison realised he was not going to come off the bench in last week’s 5-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup, he kicked a ball on the touchline and ripped off some tape on his fingers. The forward’s frustration was clear to see.
Richarlison has worked under five different head coaches at Spurs and never felt like the perfect fit for any of them. Despite his decent goalscoring record, there are clear weaknesses in Richarlison’s game and Omar Marmoush represents a significant upgrade.
It is a brutal decision to leave him out of the Premier League squad, especially because Xavi Simons has been included but is unlikely to be fully fit until next year, yet he would not get in the starting XI over Marmoush and Dominic Solanke.
The 29-year-old was given one last chance in the opening day defeat to Brentford. Richarlison’s inability to hold the ball up under pressure from Kristoffer Ajer directly led to Keith Andrews’ side scoring their second goal.
Spurs have never really seen the best of Richarlison during his four years in north London due to a series of injuries. He did score an important goal in a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa last season which helped Spurs to avoid relegation. Richarlison played a key role in the latter stages of the Europa League on the left wing and started the final against Manchester United. Supporters will always fondly remember him for his role in ending the 17-year trophy drought.
Richarlison will go down as a cult hero. He wore his heart on his sleeve but the time is right to move on. A reunion with Everton would have made sense for all parties but now he needs to hope a deal can be agreed with Turkish side Trabzonspor otherwise he will spend the next few months in the reserves.