Richarlison’s Vasco da Gama Move Collapses Amid Spurs Dispute
Richarlison’s escape route back to Brazil has vanished, and with it any sense that this saga is close to a calm ending.
A proposed move to Vasco da Gama has collapsed despite Tottenham reportedly agreeing a fee with the Brazilian club. Personal terms proved impossible to bridge, and with the Brazilian transfer window closing on Friday night, the 29-year-old now looks set to remain in north London – at least on paper.
What should have been a clean break has turned into a full-blown standoff.
From deadline-day chaos to contract war
This is the latest twist in a chaotic few weeks for the forward. He was left out of Spurs’ Premier League squad after a £35 million deadline-day return to Everton fell apart. Since then, club and player have been locked in a dispute over the remaining nine months of his contract.
Richarlison has not taken it quietly. He is actively hunting for a way out and has gone as far as approaching FIFA in an attempt to have his deal terminated. It is a dramatic step, but one he believes is justified.
Tottenham have already sent a clear message of their own. They have demoted him to train with the Under-21s, a decision the Brazilian views as ammunition in his case to rip up the contract. His start in the opening-day defeat at Brentford now looms as a possible final appearance in a Spurs shirt.
Everton door closes, frustration grows
Before the Brazilian route opened up, the most likely destination seemed to be a reunion with Everton, where he scored 53 goals in 152 games and became a cult figure. The move never materialised.
Despite strong links, he turned down the chance to work under David Moyes, unhappy with how talks were handled. Another bridge half-built, then abandoned.
So he looked to Brazil. Now that door has slammed shut as well.
De Zerbi keeps his distance
Roberto de Zerbi has made it clear he wants no part in the legal and contractual crossfire. Facing questions at his news conference on Friday, the Tottenham manager refused to be drawn into the dispute.
“I don’t know. It’s not my job,” he said, before stressing that he understands exactly what both club and player have done in recent weeks. “I know very well what the club has done for Richarlison and I know very well what Richarlison has done for the club in the last month, two months. I know, the club knows, he knows, his agent knows. Everyone knows better than you [the media]. Much better.”
The message was blunt: this is an internal war, and he is not picking a side in public.
Complicating everything, Tottenham still hold an option to trigger a 12‑month extension to Richarlison’s contract. On paper, they can lengthen a relationship that both sides appear desperate to escape.
FIFA, Renan Lodi and the next move
Richarlison’s camp is now looking to FIFA for a way out. The Brazilian is hoping to follow the path taken by Renan Lodi, who successfully used intervention from football’s governing body last year to terminate his own contract.
If FIFA backs Richarlison’s appeal, he would be free to sign for a new club outside the transfer window, blowing apart the usual market rules and putting enormous pressure on Spurs’ position.
Tottenham now stand at a crossroads. Do they dig in and fight a potentially lengthy legal battle to protect their asset and their authority? Or do they cut their losses, negotiate a mutual termination, and accept that this turbulent chapter is over?
For now, Richarlison remains a Spurs player in name only, training with the Under-21s, watching windows close, and waiting to see whether FIFA will hand him the exit that the market – and his own club – have not.
