Richarlison posts crying emoji after omission from Spurs' Carabao Cup squad vs Liverpool
Tottenham forward Richarlison publicly reacted to his exclusion from Spurs' squad for Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool by sharing a screenshot of the selection announcement on social media with the message "Why?" and a tearful sad-faced emoji. The post followed a failed proposed transfer to Brazilian side Vasco da Gama last week.
Richarlison's future at Tottenham has been unsettled after the proposed move to Vasco collapsed when personal terms were not agreed before the Brazilian transfer window closed on Friday, despite reports that the Premier League club had agreed a fee for the 29-year-old. Earlier this month a proposed £35m deadline-day transfer back to Everton also fell through after Richarlison failed to agree personal terms with the Toffees.
The forward was omitted from Spurs' Premier League squad amid a dispute over the remaining nine months of his contract, and sources indicated he is exploring his options and is keen to be released from the remainder of his deal, which runs out next summer. Tottenham, however, retain the option of triggering a 12-month extension on that contract.
Manager Roberto de Zerbi addressed the situation in his pre-match news conference on Monday, saying: "At the start of this season, I spoke to him many times to convince him to stay and he didn't want to." He added: "I can't go every day to pray for him to stay." De Zerbi also said: "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." He concluded: "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."
Tottenham remain without a league goal in the opening four matches of the new Premier League season, the first time the club have failed to score in their first four league games in their history, and are still searching for their first win under De Zerbi. That poor start has come despite the club spending more than £300m in the summer to strengthen De Zerbi's squad after back-to-back 17th-placed finishes.
Richarlison was Tottenham's leading scorer last season with 12 goals in all competitions, five more than centre-back Micky van de Ven and defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha, and he has scored four goals in seven matches against Liverpool during his time at Spurs. Tottenham signed Richarlison from Everton for £60m on a five-year deal in 2022, after spells with Watford and Everton, and he has won 54 caps for Brazil.
His public post confirms he will not be available for Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool and underlines the immediate selection consequence of the breakdown in talks between player and club.
