Tottenham news: Richarlison issues response to Roberto De Zerbi snub ahead of Liverpool EFL Cup tie

By Ben Sully | 14 Sep 2026 23:58, Last updated: 15 Sep 2026 00:00

Richarlison has issued a public response after Roberto De Zerbi confirmed he would not select the Brazilian striker for Tottenham Hotspur's EFL Cup clash against Liverpool.

The Brazilian was linked with a return to Everton before the end of the English transfer window, but a move ultimately failed to materialise. 

De Zerbi then took the decision to leave Richarlison out of his 25-man Premier League squad for the first half of the 2026-27 season.

The Richarlison saga then took another twist when a proposed move to Vasco da Gama fell through in the closing stages of the Brazilian transfer market.

Spurs reached an agreement with Vasco, but the deal reportedly collapsed due to an issue over personal terms. 

However, Richarlison offered a different view, claiming that the move was not possible because Spurs had reached their loan limit. 

With the 29-year-old still at the club, he is eligible to feature in Tuesday's EFL Cup third-round tie against Liverpool at Anfield.

But De Zerbi ruled out the possibility in his pre-match press conference, a decision that has brought out a public response from the player in question.

Richarlison responded with a tearful emoji to a Fabrizio Romano tweet that contained De Zerbi's quotes about his omission from the matchday squad.

The former Everton man also posted a screenshot of Romano's tweet on Instagram, with a caption of "Why?" and another tearful emoji.

Richarlison on Instagram responding to Roberto De Zerbi’s comments about him not being considered for the Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool pic.twitter.com/DAl0xH3sOi

De Zerbi has insisted that he has previously attempted to persuade Richarlison to stay at the club, but the striker has made it clear he wants to leave.

The Spurs boss also explained that it was an issue between the player and the club, but even if that is true, the uncertainty surrounding Richarlison is an unhelpful distraction at a difficult time for the Italian.

De Zerbi is in desperate need of an upturn in results after overseeing a four-game winless Premier League run without troubling the scorers.

While Liverpool are a difficult team to face, an early exit from the EFL Cup will only add to the pressure building on De Zerbi's shoulders, especially as there is only one more league game before the extended international break. 

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