De Zerbi confirms Richarlison will not return
Richarlison will not be involved when Tottenham face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, despite being eligible to play in the competition. Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed that the Brazilian remains outside his plans, extending an impasse which has left a senior forward unavailable while Spurs seek a way through a difficult attacking spell.
The decision matters because exclusion from Tottenham’s Premier League squad does not automatically prevent a player featuring in domestic cups. There was therefore scope for De Zerbi to recall Richarlison for a one-off tie at Anfield. Instead, the head coach has made clear that the same position applies across both competitions.
It is a firmer answer than the eligibility rules alone could provide. Richarlison is not absent because Tottenham are unable to select him; he is absent because the club and player have not resolved a relationship that deteriorated over the summer.
A failed exit has created the stalemate
Multiple reports agree on the broad outline. Richarlison wanted to leave, Tottenham were prepared to facilitate an exit, and De Zerbi attempted to persuade him to continue at the club, including by discussing a new contract. None of those efforts produced an agreement.
The eventual outcome was especially awkward: the forward remained a Tottenham player after the window closed, but was removed from the first-team picture. His attendance at the recent scoreless draw with Everton underlined that he is still around the club rather than away on a completed move, without changing his playing status.
There are some differences in how the late-window developments have been described. One account says Everton held discussions with Tottenham but that personal terms could not be settled, while another places particular emphasis on a proposed return to Vasco da Gama falling apart late on. Trabzonspor were also linked with a possible destination. Taken together, the reporting points to several unsuccessful routes rather than one isolated collapsed deal.
What remains unclear is the central issue behind the breakdown. De Zerbi has declined to disclose the details and has framed it as a matter for the player and club. That restraint leaves significant questions unanswered: whether the disagreement concerns contractual expectations, the terms of a departure, or a broader loss of trust. The practical consequence, however, is plain. Richarlison has become a player Tottenham own but will not currently use.
An attacking option left unused
The timing intensifies scrutiny of the choice. Tottenham have gone without a goal in successive league draws, including matches against Nottingham Forest and Everton, and now travel to face a Liverpool side against whom Richarlison has previously been productive for Spurs. Reports credit him with four goals in seven appearances against the Merseyside club.
That record does not make a recall inevitable, particularly when a player has been separated from the competitive squad. But it illustrates what Tottenham are choosing to leave aside. Richarlison offers experience, penalty-box presence and familiarity with Liverpool, qualities that can have added value in a cup tie away from home.
De Zerbi’s decision suggests he believes the potential short-term benefit is outweighed by the risk of reopening an unresolved issue. Reintegrating a player for one match could be interpreted as a tactical necessity, but it could also weaken the clarity Tottenham have sought since telling him he could depart. By maintaining the exclusion, De Zerbi is protecting that line even when his forward options are under pressure.
Cup ambitions meet squad reality
The Liverpool match is not being treated as a disposable fixture. De Zerbi has indicated that he wants Tottenham to make a serious run in both domestic cup competitions and has played down the prospect of wholesale rotation. At the same time, Pedro Porro and Sandro Tonali are expected to be unavailable, making selection decisions more complicated in other areas of the squad.
His comments on the centre-backs indicate confidence in Tottenham’s depth, but the Richarlison situation is different. This is not ordinary rotation or an injury absence. It is a deliberate exclusion of a player who could legally take part and whose past output against the opponents would otherwise form part of the selection conversation.
For now, the Carabao Cup has not provided the route back that eligibility appeared to offer. Richarlison’s next step depends less on a single Tottenham result than on whether the club, the player and any prospective new employer can find an agreement that eluded them during the transfer window.