Zerbi refuses Richarlison's plea for a Carabao Cup place

Roberto De Zerbi has again confirmed that the Brazilian Richarlison is not registered for the Premier League and should not expect any playing minutes in the League Cup, meaning he will not be in Tottenham Hotspur’s squad for the Carabao Cup‑duel against Liverpool.

Registration and playing minutes

The Brazilian is not registered for the Premier League and also cannot count on playing time in the League Cup. The Italian manager emphasized that the striker’s situation remains unchanged, despite the ongoing transfer saga.

Carabao Cup‑duel and transfer‑saga

For the Carabao Cup‑duel against Liverpool, the 29‑year‑old striker will not get a new chance on Tuesday. Zerbi said at the press conference: “You know everything, nothing changes in that.” The transfer saga surrounding Richarlison has been ongoing for over a month.

Richarlison started the season in the starting XI against Brentford, but was then left out of Spurs’ plans. A departure never materialised.

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Zerbi explained that the problem lies between the player and the club. “I know what has happened over the past 45 days. It would not be right for me to elaborate on that. The relationship, the problem, is between the player and the club,” he said.

He added that he has spoken with Richarlison several times to persuade him to stay, but the Brazilian did not want to. “I am not going to get on my knees every day and beg him to stay,” the Italian said.

Richarlison responded to a message from Fabrizio Romano about his exclusion with a crying emoji and later on his Instagram‑story with the text ‘why?’ followed by a sad emoji, clearly signalling his dissatisfaction.