Richarlison has publicly responded to Roberto De Zerbi after the Tottenham Hotspur manager left him out of the squad for the Carabao Cup third-round tie at Liverpool. The Brazilian forward was already missing from Spurs' 25-man Premier League squad submitted earlier this month, having been told he had no place in the first-team setup this season.
Because the League Cup operates as a separate competition, Richarlison remained eligible to play against Liverpool on Tuesday at Anfield. De Zerbi chose not to include him anyway.
Richarlison took to Instagram to address the decision, sharing a picture of a quote from De Zerbi with the caption "Why?" alongside a tear emoji, as reported by football.london.
What De Zerbi Said
Speaking on Monday, De Zerbi explained his position on the striker's situation. "Richarlison, you already know everything and nothing change for Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same," he said.
"I stay in the middle and I can't say nothing more because it is not my job. I can answer about the result and the players in the squad, the offensive phase, the defensive phase, but not for other things."
De Zerbi added that he had tried to keep Richarlison at the club at the start of the season. "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 said. "I said last press conference. I know what happened in the last 45 days. It's not right if I explained. It's not my behavior. The relationship, the problem is between the player and the club."
He continued: "I stay within the club. It's coach and club together. At the start of this season I spoke to him many times to convince him to stay and he didn't want to. I can't go every day to pray for him to stay."
A Summer Exit That Never Materialised
Spurs made clear to Richarlison before the transfer window closed in England that he had no future in the first-team squad this season. Despite that, he was unable to complete a return to former club Everton before the September 1 deadline.
A proposed move to Vasco da Gama also collapsed last week. Tottenham had reportedly reached an agreement with the Brazilian club over the 29-year-old, but the deal fell apart late on Friday when talks over personal terms broke down.
Richarlison subsequently used social media to suggest Tottenham had blocked the move by exceeding their loan quota. "Unfortunately, Tottenham reached the loan limit, so it didn't work out either," he wrote, addressing Vasco supporters directly. "But that's it. I wanted to thank you, the Vasco fans, who sent many kind messages."
He added: "I believe I'll be at São Januário, in Barreira, soon. You know how much I care about you all, and one day I will realize this dream, which is mine, my grandfather's, and my family's. I'm speaking from the heart because I really want to be at Vasco."
