Richarlison was left out of the Tottenham squad for the Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool, and the Brazilian has responded to Roberto De Zerbi's squad decision with a one-word Instagram post
Richarlison will not play for Tottenham anytime soon
Richarlison will not play for Tottenham anytime soon(Image: Getty Images)
Richarlison has hit back at Roberto De Zerbi after the Spurs boss left him out of his Tottenham squad for the Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool.
The Brazilian was omitted from Spurs' 25-man Premier League squad submission earlier this month, having been told he had no place in the first-team setup this season. Despite this, he remains eligible to play in the League Cup, as it operates as a separate competition.
Nevertheless, De Zerbi opted not to include the striker in his squad for the third-round fixture at Anfield on Tuesday. In response to the decision and his manager's comments on Monday, Richarlison took to Instagram to share an image featuring a quote from the Italian, accompanied by the caption "Why?" and a tear emoji.
Setting out his reasoning on Monday, De Zerbi said: "Richarlison, you already know everything and nothing change for Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same. 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. 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. 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. 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."
Richarlison's post on Instagram
Richarlison's post on Instagram
Spurs informed the Brazilian striker, ahead of the English transfer window closing, that he would not be part of their first-team plans for the current campaign. Nevertheless, he was unable to secure a return to his previous club, Everton, before the September 1 deadline, while a potential switch to Vasco da Gama fell through last week.
Spurs had reached terms with the Brazilian outfit for the 29-year-old, but the transfer broke down late on Friday evening when agreement on personal terms proved impossible. Richarlison subsequently turned to social media to point the finger at Tottenham, alleging the club blocked his dream homecoming by reaching its loan limit.
He said: "Hey there, Vasco fans. This week has been pretty hectic. I decided to take some time to thank the Vasco fans. Pedrinho, Felipe. We were very close to me signing with Vasco. My team, the team of my whole family.
"It was a close call. I had made it very clear to Pedrinho and Felipe from the beginning of the conversation that I wanted to play for Vasco until December. When other clubs and other offers came up, I made it clear that they were my priority.
"This time, it was a close call. Unfortunately, Tottenham reached the loan limit, so it didn't work out either. But that's it. I wanted to thank you, the Vasco fans, who sent many kind messages.
"Asking what time and day I would be at the airport so they could come and have a party and pick me up. But let's leave that for another time. I believe I'll be at Sao Januario, 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. That's it. Thank you all very much.
"Soon we will be wearing the Vasco shirt. There's even one over there, there are many over there. I found this one, and since Pedrinho has been at Vasco, in charge, he sends me many Vasco shirts, at every launch, he knows I'm a Vasco fan. Thanks. Soon we will be at Sao Januario, in Barreira, and that's us."