In north London, Richarlison’s Tottenham future has narrowed into a contractual dispute. The Brazilian forward is seeking an agreed release after being omitted from the club’s Premier League squad, a decision that leaves him without a competitive route until January unless his deal is ended.
Tottenham were beaten 3-2 by Aston Villa in their fifth league match and remain bottom of the Premier League with two points from five games. They have yet to win this season, while head coach Roberto De Zerbi has made clear that Richarlison will not be used.
Quick facts
- Richarlison is contracted to Tottenham until June 2027.
- He was left out of the Premier League registration list.
- Tottenham can next register players in January.
- The club are out of the League Cup and have no European fixtures.
- Tottenham’s FA Cup campaign will not begin until January 2027.
Talks over a mutual termination have been running for weeks, although the player’s representatives now consider an agreement unlikely. Richarlison believes his exclusion should not prevent him from playing elsewhere before the end of the year.
Tottenham are entitled to omit a player from their Premier League list. Yet sports-law specialist Eduardo Carlezzo said a player can, in certain circumstances, pursue a termination for just cause before FIFA’s Football Tribunal when he is prevented from participating in competitions.
Carlezzo stressed that each case would be assessed individually, taking account of the contract, the relationship between club and player, the competitions available to him and those from which he has been excluded.
Richarlison began the campaign in the starting side, playing 68 minutes against Brentford on the opening weekend. He subsequently made his wish to leave known to Tottenham and publicly expressed that position on social media.
De Zerbi was critical of that conduct and stopped selecting him. After the squad list was confirmed, Richarlison responded online with a brief question: “Why?”
January is the next opening
Even if De Zerbi were dismissed or reversed his decision, Tottenham could not add Richarlison to their league squad before the January transfer window. With no continental competition and no other immediate cup schedule, a release would be his only route to competitive football this calendar year.
By January, the striker’s contract will have entered its final six months. He would then be able to discuss a free move for the following season, or seek to persuade Tottenham to sanction an immediate sale.
A return to Vasco did not materialise after negotiations. Richarlison declined a lengthy contract proposal, and the Brazilian club have ruled out a permanent agreement.
A familiar strain at Tottenham
This is not Richarlison’s first public friction with a Tottenham manager. In 2023, shortly before Antonio Conte’s departure, the forward described his own season in harsh terms; Conte agreed with the assessment and called him selfish after an interview.
Reports later claimed that Richarlison and defender Cristian Romero pressed the club to remove the Italian coach. Richarlison denied having a problem with Conte at the time.
De Zerbi also arrives with a recent example of dressing-room tension from his Marseille spell. Following a 3-0 Champions League defeat to Club Brugge, he reportedly singled out Panama defender Amir Murillo during a video review and told the squad he no longer wanted the player, with a transfer expected at the next window.
The episode angered Marseille’s players and contributed to a wider internal crisis. De Zerbi was dismissed around 10 days later; at Tottenham, his decision on Richarlison has now created another unresolved stand-off.
