Richarlison Left Out As Tottenham Struggles Deepen

Less than four years after representing Brazil at the 2022 World Cup, Richarlison’s downward spiral at Tottenham Hotspur was laid bare on a chilly evening as he scored in front of a couple of hundred supporters for the under-21s against Cheltenham Town in the EFL Trophy.

The Brazilian forward, who cost Spurs £60m when arriving from Everton and was rubbing shoulders with Neymar Jr and Vinicius Jr on international duty not so long ago, looked almost embarrassed to celebrate his thumping half-volley against the League Two outfit. He also notched a penalty in a shootout that Spurs’ reserves eventually lost 7-6 after a 2-2 draw.

The Root of the Exclusion and Failed Moves

Richarlison, 29, found himself stranded after a chaotic summer transfer window. For a couple of hours on deadline day, it seemed only a matter of time before he left Tottenham, closing in on an idyllic return to Everton more than four years after swapping Merseyside for North London.

However, after expressing his intense desire to depart, a proposed move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium fell through at the eleventh hour. Later that month, a proposed move to Brazilian side Vasco da Gama also collapsed after Richarlison failed to agree personal terms, leaving both the player and the club with few alternatives.

Manager Roberto de Zerbi insisted the decision to omit him from the club’s Premier League squad in September was not his doing. "He decided everything alone," De Zerbi explained in September regarding the forward’s failed exit strategy. "He spoke with me at the beginning of the pre-season and told me his idea and desire was to leave. At the end we go to bring another striker in and, like I said at the beginning of the pre-season, I want to keep the players, just the players that want to stay and be proud and with the right passion to stay here."

Because he is unregistered in the top-flight squad, the ex-Watford forward was also ruled out of Spurs’ Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool, leaving English football’s lower-tier EFL Trophy group stage as his only rare opportunity to gain competitive minutes before the January transfer window opens.

Tottenham’s Goal Crisis and Attacking Shortages

With just three goals scored in the opening stretch of the campaign, Tottenham currently rank as the Premier League’s lowest scorers and sit second from bottom in the relegation drop zone. Consequently, the decision to leave last season’s 12-goal leading scorer out of their league plans looks increasingly difficult to justify.

Since arriving from Everton, Richarlison has netted 27 top-flight goals in 103 appearances. He was Tottenham’s leading marksman in the competition last term, scoring 11 times in 32 matches as they narrowly avoided dropping into the Championship.

Dominic Solanke’s late equaliser against Manchester United offered a glimmer of resilience, representing the first Premier League goal from a Tottenham forward since Richarlison scored against Chelsea way back in May. Former England striker Alan Shearer questioned Solanke’s quality on Match of the Day, describing him as nowhere near good enough after scoring just 13 league goals since joining two years ago from Bournemouth in a £55m deal. De Zerbi, however, praised Solanke’s performance after his first goal of the season rescued a point at Old Trafford despite Spurs being reduced to ten men.

While Richarlison might not single-handedly solve every tactical issue plaguing Roberto de Zerbi’s side, his inclusion in the Premier League squad surely would have provided a sharper edge than watching him trudge around lower-tier grounds trying to maintain fitness.