Arabic version: دي زيربي يقول إن استبعاد ريتشارليسون لم يكن قراره

According to BBC News, Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto de Zerbi says it was not his decision to leave Richarlison out of the club’s 25-man Premier League squad. The Brazil forward was omitted while injured players Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert were included in the list submitted to the Premier League on Thursday.

De Zerbi said Richarlison had made clear at the start of pre-season that he wanted to leave Tottenham. The manager said the 29-year-old was close to rejoining former club Everton before Tuesday’s transfer deadline, but the move did not go through. “It was not my decision. It is the normal decision,” De Zerbi said.

Richarlison joined Tottenham from Everton in the summer of 2022 and has entered the final year of his contract. He started Spurs’ opening-season defeat by Brentford but was not in the squad for the 2-0 home loss to Newcastle. De Zerbi said he wants to work with players who are hungry to be at the club, adding that matters beyond that were the responsibility of Tottenham.

Tottenham have strengthened their attack with Omar Marmoush from Manchester City, Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk on loan and Brazil winger Savio from City. Richarlison was Spurs’ top Premier League scorer last season with 11 goals in 32 appearances, helping the club secure top-flight survival on the final day. Trabzonspor have been linked with the forward; Turkish clubs can sign players until 22:00 BST on Friday, while Saudi Arabian clubs can do so until Sunday. If he remains at Spurs, he will be ineligible for Premier League action.