Richarlison's Frustration After Tottenham Omission

Richarlison has taken his frustration public after being left out of Tottenham’s squad for Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool by head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

The Brazil forward posted a screenshot of a social media graphic highlighting his omission and added a single word: “Why?” followed by a crying face emoji. One word, one image – and a very clear message.

It comes at a time when his future in north London already hangs in the balance. A move back to Brazil with Vasco da Gama collapsed last week, deepening the uncertainty around the 29-year-old’s next step.

Sources indicated Tottenham and Vasco had reached an agreement on a fee, but the transfer broke down when personal terms were not finalised before the Brazilian window shut on Friday. The door closed, and Richarlison stayed put – at least for now.

De Zerbi, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Monday, made it clear he feels he has done his part.

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

“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 comments underline a growing distance between player and club. De Zerbi hinted at deeper issues but refused to pull back the curtain.

“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 Richarlison watches on as Tottenham face Liverpool in a knockout tie, his status reduced to a social media question and an emoji. The next move, on and off the pitch, now belongs to the club.