Richarlison finished last season as Tottenham's top scorer. He starts this one without a squad number.
Roberto De Zerbi has officially omitted the Brazilian from Spurs' registered 25-man Premier League roster, a decision that was communicated to the striker before the transfer deadline. The manager wanted him gone. Richarlison, by multiple accounts, wanted to go. And yet here he is — still at the club, still unregistered, watching from the outside.
How it got to this point
The math forced De Zerbi's hand. Tottenham carried one too many non-homegrown players for the permitted 17-man limit, and somebody had to go. Richarlison was that somebody. A move back to Everton looked plausible for a while, but negotiations stalled and nothing was agreed before the Premier League window shut. The 29-year-old, who has 10 months left on his contract — with Spurs holding a one-year extension option — reportedly voiced his frustration publicly in those final days. Not a great look when you're trying to engineer a departure.
Trabzonspor are now the name being linked. Turkey's transfer window is still open, which at least gives this saga somewhere to go. Whether Richarlison is willing to drop down to that level, and whether Spurs can agree on a fee or loan structure, is another matter entirely.
The squad as it stands
The curious part is who De Zerbi did include. Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert both made the cut despite currently rehabilitating from ACL injuries — Odobert expected back before year's end, Simons targeting a quicker return than the injury typically allows. Dejan Kulusevski also returns after 477 days out with a complex knee problem. Jacob Knightbridge, 22, fills the eighth and final homegrown spot following Dane Scarlett's permanent move to Leyton Orient.
Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Mathys Tel all sit on the U21 list, unavailable for Premier League selection until January.
Tottenham's confirmed 25-man Premier League squad:
- GK: Antonin Kinsky (31), Martin Dubravka (39), Brandon Austin (40), Jacob Knightbridge (51)
- DEF: Andy Robertson (3), Tosin Adarabioyo (4), Marcos Senesi (5), Jan Paul van Hecke (6), Destiny Udogie (13), Pedro Porro (23), Ben Davies (33), Micky van de Ven (37)
- MID: Conor Gallagher (8), James Maddison (10), Sandro Tonali (16), Mateus Fernandes (18), Dejan Kulusevski (21), Rodrigo Bentancur (30)
- FWD: Xavi Simons (7), Sávio (17), Mohammed Kudus (20), Omar Marmoush (22), Mykhailo Mudryk (27), Wilson Odobert (28), Dominic Solanke (19)
It's a squad built around significant injury question marks and a front line that now leans entirely on Solanke for proven Premier League goals. Dropping your leading scorer from last season — even one the manager clearly doesn't want — tightens the margins considerably. Any team shopping for Spurs to slip up early in the season just got a little more reason to believe it.
