Richarlison's Anger Over Carabao Cup Omission Raises Concerns

Richarlison has gone public with his anger after being left out of Tottenham’s squad for Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool, sharpening the focus on an already strained relationship with Roberto De Zerbi and the club.

The Brazil forward posted a screenshot of a social media graphic highlighting his omission and added a single word: “Why?” followed by a crying emoji. One word, one symbol – enough to ignite the debate around his future in north London all over again.

That future already looked fragile. A move back to Brazil with Vasco da Gama collapsed last week, leaving Richarlison in limbo. Sources indicated Tottenham and Vasco had agreed a fee for the 29-year-old, but the deal stalled when the player and the Brazilian club failed to settle on personal terms before the transfer window there shut on Friday.

So Richarlison stayed. But not in the matchday squad.

De Zerbi did not hide behind selection clichés when he faced the media on Monday. He painted a picture of a manager who felt he had already gone as far as he could.

“At the start of this season, I spoke to him many times to convince him to stay and he didn't want to,” the Tottenham head coach said. “I can't go every day to pray for him to stay.”

De Zerbi described how the club had tried to secure Richarlison’s commitment with a new deal.

“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.”

Those words land heavily against the backdrop of a forward now questioning his exclusion in public. The manager, though, made it clear he will not air every detail.

“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.”

So the picture is stark. A high-profile striker who tried to leave, a manager who feels he has already done the persuading, and a club left to manage a rift that has now spilled onto social media. With the window closed in Brazil and Richarlison still under contract, Tottenham must decide whether this is a situation they can repair – or one they simply have to endure.