Richarlison omission ‘not my decision’, reveals De Zerbi

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Roberto De Zerbi has revealed it was not his decision to leave Richarlison out of Tottenham’s Premier League squad.

Spurs submitted their 25-man squad for the first half of the campaign on Thursday, with Richarlison left out, while injured duo Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert were included.

Richarlison led Spurs in both goals (12) and direct goal contributions (17) across all competitions last season.

The Brazilian has been open about his desire to leave Spurs in this window, though a potential return to Everton fell through on deadline day.

He is now linked with a move to Trabzonspor, with the transfer deadline for Turkish clubs set for Friday, while he has until Sunday to join a Saudi Pro League side.

However, if he stays with Spurs, he will not be able to play in the Premier League, though De Zerbi believes that was the obvious outcome.

“It was not my decision. It is the normal decision,” said the Spurs boss.

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 4, 2026

“I think Richarlison, he decided everything alone. He spoke with me at the beginning of the pre-season and told me his idea and desire was to leave.

“At the end, we went to bring another striker [in] and like I said at the beginning of the pre-season, I want to keep only the players that want to stay and be proud and with the right passion to stay here.

“Then, for everything and other problems, it is not my business and not my job. It is the responsibility of the club.

“I can’t say anything because I didn’t decide anything.

“The message of Richarlison from the beginning of the season has been very clear. I accepted that and for me [there is] nothing [to say].

“I’m not Vinai [Venkatesham – Spurs CEO], I’m not the sporting director.

“I am the coach, and I would like to work with people who are hungry if they don’t play, but still happy to stay at this club.”

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