Richarlison's Struggles at Tottenham: A Career in Limbo
Tottenham shut the door on Richarlison – now he has to find another way out.
The Brazilian has been left out of Spurs’ 25-man Premier League squad for the season, a brutal but unmistakable signal that Roberto De Zerbi does not see him as part of the plan. Not as a squad option. Not as a late-impact substitute. Not at all.
For a player who once tore through English defences in Everton blue, it is a stark fall.
Everton return that never was
In the final days of the transfer window, Richarlison had looked towards familiar ground. British reports say he hoped to return to Everton, the club where he became a Premier League force and a fan favourite, chasing the version of himself that Goodison Park once roared on.
The idea made football sense. Everton need goals and energy. Richarlison needs a stage and trust. Yet the move never materialised. Talks didn’t reach the finish line, and the window slammed shut with the forward still at Tottenham, still stuck.
He wanted out. He stays put.
A career slipping from his hands
The omission from the league squad cuts deeper because of what Richarlison admitted only days earlier: that others have made many of the big decisions in his career for him. It was a rare, raw glimpse into a modern footballer’s reality — big fees, big moves, but not always in their own hands.
Now he finds himself officially frozen out of domestic action, watching a season begin without him, his name missing from the list that matters most.
De Zerbi’s stance could not be clearer. There is no role for Richarlison in this Tottenham project. No tactical reshuffle on the horizon that suddenly brings him back into the fold. The club and the player both know it.
A race against other clocks
So the search for a solution begins again, this time against different deadlines.
While the Premier League window has closed, other markets remain open. Saudi Arabia and Turkey stand out as realistic escape routes, their transfer periods still active and their clubs ready to pounce on big names in need of a reset.
A move to either would offer Richarlison something he has lacked for months: minutes, relevance, and the chance to rebuild his confidence far from the glare of north London.
Tottenham, too, need clarity. A high-earning forward, not registered and not involved, is an expensive symbol of a misaligned squad. A clean break would suit all sides.
The question now is not whether Richarlison has a future at Spurs. De Zerbi has answered that already. The real question is where the next chapter of his career begins — and how quickly he can wrest back control of a journey that has drifted away from him.
