Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison looks set to stay at the club until the January window after being left out of the club’s Premier League squad.
Spurs have rejected an offer from UAE club Shabab Al Ahli for Richarlison, which appeared to be the last realistic route for the striker out of Hotspur Way this summer.
The Brazilian international has seemingly already played his final game in Tottenham colours, but he is set to stick around until the January window.
The Spurs striker has been spotted in attendance at recent matches, including Tottenham’s latest defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Richarlison provides training update hours after Tottenham’s loss to Aston Villa
Spurs have been lacking a clinical striker to finish off the chances they have created this season, which only brings further attention to the predicament of the former Everton man, who was the Lilywhites’ top scorer last season.
It appears that Richarlison is certainly letting the Tottenham fans know that he is training hard and in top physical condition.
Just hours after Spurs’ 3-2 loss to Villa, the striker took to his Instagram story to post an image of him in the training ground, captioning it: “The focus remains.”
He then posted another clip on social media of him doing sprint drills at Hotspur Way and captioned it: “35.4km/h – I broke my record.”
This appears to be even quicker than Tottenham’s fastest players in the Premier League this season.
| Player | Top speed |
|---|---|
| Savio | 34.5 km/h |
| Omar Marmoush | 34.3 km/h |
| Andy Robertson | 34 km/h |
| Destiny Udogie | 33.9 km/h |
| Mathys Tel | 33.7 km/h |
Tottenham’s Richarlison decision is becoming harder to justify
Richarlison’s social media posts may attract attention while he remains on the outside at Tottenham, but the bigger issue for Spurs is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
The Brazilian was omitted from Tottenham’s 25-man Premier League squad at the start of September and Roberto De Zerbi has since confirmed that the situation has not changed, with Richarlison unavailable for selection in either the league or domestic cup competitions.
That decision looked easier to defend when Tottenham still had an entire season ahead of them and several alternative attacking options. However, Spurs’ struggles in front of goal have quickly changed the conversation.
Dominic Solanke has yet to establish himself as the reliable source of goals Tottenham need, while De Zerbi has also rotated Mathys Tel and Omar Marmoush through the central attacking positions.
Richarlison would not necessarily solve all of Tottenham’s attacking problems, but he does offer something different. He is aggressive inside the penalty area, willing to attack crosses and has previously shown an ability to score Premier League goals for Spurs.
That makes the decision to completely remove him as an option increasingly difficult to overlook.
There may be circumstances behind the breakdown in Richarlison’s relationship with the club that have not been made public, and Tottenham evidently felt strongly enough about the situation to exclude him from the squad altogether.
But if Spurs continue to struggle for goals, supporters will inevitably question whether the club have weakened their own attacking options by leaving last season’s leading scorer unavailable.
There is also an awkward contradiction developing for Tottenham. The club were unwilling to accept Shabab Al Ahli’s offer for Richarlison, yet the forward currently has no route back into the first team.
If Tottenham believe his value is higher than the offers received this summer, allowing him to train for four months without playing competitive football may not necessarily strengthen their negotiating position ahead of January either.
For that reason, the Richarlison situation is no longer simply about an unwanted player waiting for a transfer. It is becoming a sporting and financial decision that Tottenham may have to justify if results do not improve before the January window.