Richarlison Left Out of Tottenham's Premier League Squad

Tottenham’s Premier League squad list dropped with one name missing that once felt untouchable. Richarlison, last season’s top scorer, is out. Not injured. Not eased aside. Simply absent.

For a 29-year-old forward who led the club with 11 goals in 32 league appearances, it is a brutal, public demotion. One that leaves him stranded between contracts and convictions, stuck in what can only be described as professional limbo.

Inside the decision: “He decided everything alone”

Roberto De Zerbi did not try to dress it up. He rarely does.

Speaking to the media about Richarlison’s omission, the Tottenham head coach made it clear where he believes the story really began — and who wrote it.

“It was not my decision. It is the normal decision,” De Zerbi said. “I think Richarlison, he decided everything alone. He spoke with me at the beginning of the pre-season and told me his idea and desire was to leave.”

That conversation set the tone for the summer. The Brazilian wanted out. Tottenham moved on.

“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.”

The pressure finally told once the squad list had to be locked. Some players carried injuries and still made it. Simons is in. Odobert is in. Richarlison is not. That contrast says more than any statement.

De Zerbi draws his line

De Zerbi was keen to underline that the formalities of registration belong to the hierarchy, not the dugout. This was not, he insisted, a manager personally striking a name from the list.

“Then for everything and other problems, it is not my business and not my job. It is the responsibility of the club,” he said. “I can’t say nothing because I didn’t decide anything. The message of Richarlison from the beginning of the season has been very clear. I accepted that and for me there is nothing to say.”

Yet his footballing principles run straight through the outcome.

The Italian has built his reputation on demanding intensity, unity and a ruthless clarity about who is in and who is out. For him, there is no room for passengers, however decorated.

“If you don’t want to stay here, I don’t want to keep talking in the press conference. Go out – you have the freedom to go out,” he said. “If you don’t want to stay, why do we have to keep you on the list? Why do you have to stay?

“I’m not Vinai, I’m not the sporting director, I am the coach and I would like to work with the people hungry if they don’t play but happy to stay in this club.”

A swift fall from starter to spare part

The speed of Richarlison’s slide is striking. He started the opening game of the campaign against Brentford, still ostensibly central to Tottenham’s plans, still wearing the look of a senior forward with status to match.

Then the market moved.

Omar Marmoush arrived from Manchester City. Mykhailo Mudryk came in on loan from Chelsea. Savio followed from City. Each signing nudged Richarlison a little further down the pecking order, each new face a reminder that the club was preparing for life without him.

When the list was finally submitted, the picture was complete. Injured players protected. New forwards embraced. The former top scorer cut loose.

Harmony over hierarchy

This is De Zerbi’s Tottenham now: a squad built around those who want to be there, not those who simply happen to be contracted.

His message could not be clearer. Hunger beats reputation. Commitment beats noise. If a player’s heart is elsewhere, the door is open — and so, crucially, is the exit.

Richarlison chose his stance at the start of pre-season. Tottenham have now chosen theirs. The club marches into the campaign with new attacking options and a manager unflinching in his principles.

The question is no longer why Richarlison is missing from the list. It is where, and how, he finds his way back into the elite game from here.