Inside Richarlison’s messy Tottenham break-up, from failed transfer exits to Premier League axe and De Zerbi fallout

RICHARLISON is looking stuck on the sidelines at Spurs until January at least.

The Brazilian’s escape routes have closed one by one, with the last remaining leagues that have transfer windows still open unlikely to appeal.

They include the Saudi non-league – that country’s lucrative Pro League shut for business on September 6 – and the United Arab Emirates.

There are rumours of a switch to UAE’S Shabab Al Ahli but it is questionable whether they would be able to afford his wages, which has been the sticking point for other failed moves this summer.

The Greek Super League closes this evening but there does not appear to be a move in the offing.

And why would there be, given the 29-year-old has already snubbed switches to Everton and Vasco da Gama in his homeland as the personal terms were not right.

cannot play in the Premier League because Spurs did not include them in their 25-man squad after he asked to leave earlier this summer.

Boss Roberto De Zerbi only wants players who are committed to the cause so signed off on the drastic action.

Striker Richarlison could have featured against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night but

It means that, in all likelihood, Tottenham’s top-scorer for the 2025-26 campaign will be left in limbo for the next few months, leaving fans to wonder just how it has come to this.

Fixtures Results Table

Tuesday 15 September

Liverpool

20:00

LEC

Spurs

Saturday 19 September

Spurs

12:30

EPL

Villa

Saturday 10 October

Man Utd

17:30

EPL

Spurs

Monday 19 October

Spurs

20:00

EPL

Coventry

Saturday 12 September

Saturday 5 September

Saturday 29 August

Wednesday 26 August

Spurs

5 – 1

LEC

Charlton

English Premier League Pld Pts GD W D L Form

13

4

4

0

1

1

2

14

4

4

-2

1

1

2

15

4

3

-1

0

3

1

16

4

3

-5

1

0

3

17

4

2

-5

0

2

2

18

4

1

-3

0

1

3

19

4

1

-6

0

1

3

20

4

0

-10

0

0

4

Or, “Why?”, as Richarlison himself wrote on social media on Monday evening in response to his latest exile from the cup competitions.

The ex-Everton star’s post on Instagram stories also came with a sad face emoji with tears.

It was an apt image for what is a sorry situation all round.

De Zerbi was asked last week by SunSport if it could justifiably be called “a mess”.

The Italian neither agreed nor disagreed but a mess is what it is.

And one exacerbated by the fact have failed to score in their opening four league games this season for the first time in their history.

No Spurs fan thinks Richarlison is the long-term answer given the inconsistency he has shown since joining the club for £60m in 2022.

But many will have felt he would have been far more useful coming on as a late sub in Saturday’s latest blank – a 0-0 draw at home to Everton – to try to find the breakthrough against his old side rather than sitting watching the game in the stands with the injured players.

Richarlison ended last term on 11 Premier League goals, more than double the next highest Spurs scorer, and was pivotal to survival.

Yet in the summer, De Zerbi says the former Watford man asked to leave, snubbing the offer of a contract extension.

De Zerbi still used Richarlison plenty of times in pre-season, with the striker scoring a lovely goal at home to Hoffenheim a week before the Premier League kicked off.

He then started that opening-day tonking away to Brentford, which Spurs lost 3-0.

Richarlison had a poor game, touching the ball just 18 times which was the fewest of any starting Spurs player, having no shots and losing the ball three times.

That anonymous outing will be his last in a Spurs shirt barring a dramatic turnaround.

But it was a few weeks prior where the relationship between Richarlison and the coach and club really broke down.

That is based on De Zerbi’s “45 days” timeline, mentioned first in Friday’s press conference.

said last week: “Richarlison is a good guy, a very good guy. I spoke with him a lot of times and I spent time to convince him to stay.

“But if you ask me, I know the truth. I know what happened in the last month, the last 45 days. And it’s clear.

“I have to repeat, I know what the club has done in the last 45 days with him and what was the behaviour of Richarlison.

“I can’t explain (in more detail what has specifically gone on) because it’s not right.

“He was important last season, we can’t forget. But we can’t forget also the last 45 days.”

With seemingly no interest in a contract renewal, Spurs set about trying to find a buyer and in the final days of the English transfer window, a £35million switch back to Everton was agreed.

It seemed like the ideal solution, with Richarlison’s heart still on Merseyside following his four years there before his Spurs switch.

But personal terms could not be agreed and as the English window closed, Richarlison remained a Spurs player, albeit not one who would actually play for the club.

That was confirmed when De Zerbi omitted the striker from his 25-man Prem contingent, instead including Xavi Simons who is still recovering from a serious knee injury and will likely not feature before the end of 2026.

There was talk of a move to Mo Salah’s Trabzonspor but it never materialised, with Spurs sources denying they had ever received an offer from the Turkish side.

Then came Vasco da Gama, Richarlison’s boyhood club in Brazil.

Richarlison was understood to be open to a temporary switch back there but with Spurs having reached the limit of six international loans out, that was not possible.

Spurs are believed to have accepted a bid worth £20m from Vasco before the Brazil window shut at 4am UK time on Saturday morning.

But, again, Richarlison could not agree personal terms and the deal was off.

How much he even wants to leave England is in doubt, anyway, given he, his fiancee Amanda Araujo and their one-year-old son Richarlison Jnr are settled on these shores.

The forward and his lawyers have explored the possibility of trying to get his contract terminated by citing sporting just cause for his treatment by Spurs.

But SunSport understands that would be a huge challenge to come into effect now, given Fifa’s rules state that any such action would have to be determined during a 15-day window after Spurs’ final official game of the season.

A mutual agreement, like Chelsea did with Raheem Sterling, seemingly makes no sense from Spurs’ perspective because they could still get a multi-million fee in January, which is just a few months away.

Richarlison could pay his way out of his contract but given his reluctance to go to Everton because of the lower wages on offer, that eventuality seems unlikely too.

So, while Spurs continue to fire blanks, a man who has reached double figures in the Premier League in five separate seasons will continue to sit on his hands.

Asked on Monday by SunSport if there was any way back for the striker,

The Italian replied: “I don’t know. It’s not for me this question.

“Anyway, we lost in Brentford 3-0 with Richarlison. Maybe you forgot. Just to remember.”